The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Hospital drawing up waste disposal plan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 12, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Hospital drawing up waste disposal plan

By A. D. Rangarajan

A pit to dispose of bio-degradable hospital waste under construction at the Government Maternity Hospital in Tirupati.

TIRUPATI, JAN. 11. The Government Maternity Hospital in Tirupati is preparing the ground for a bio-waste disposal system which is most likely to determine the way hospital waste would be disposed of in future.

With a daily average of 30 deliveries, the hospital generates 50-60 kg of degradable waste which is even more when caesarean and abortion cases are taken into account.

The hospital currently follows the traditional method of burying the waste in trenches dug in a remote area. The already foul-smelling waste emits a further loathsome odour when putrefied or partially decayed making it unbearable for one to go near the vicinity. While the sanitation staff disposing it of run the risk of infection, stray dogs burrowing out the waste too spread contamination.

Technology

As a panacea for all these ills, the hospital has embraced the technology used in gobergas plants.

The newly-built hospital on SVIMS premises has a similar plant into which the waste would be dumped along with organic material like cow dung. The disposal becomes complete with the omnipresent digestive (anaerobic) bacteria `overpowering' the harmful one present in the human waste and nullifying its effects.

Organic manure

An extension of the scheme is to dry the treated waste under the sun to get solid cakes to be distributed to farmers as organic manure. The idea has been conceived by T. Sesha Sai of gynaecology wing at the hospital who developed it further with inputs from TTD engineering and NEDCAP officials. "Our disposal plan is the first of its kind in the country,'' says Dr. Sai who was formerly an army medical officer.

However, the authorities are taking care in sieving out non-degradable material and antiseptic, which could kill the digestive bacteria.

In future, it is planned to unload amputated limbs also into the plant.

While the disposal part is okay, gobergas generation is still a distant dream as it requires 200 kg of organic waste to produce sufficient gas.

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