The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has put forward a proposal to introduce bar codes on all biomedical waste (BMW) bags as part of efforts to ensure accurate tracking and management of biomedical waste.
According to senior officials from KSPCB, there is a notable lack of coordination among various stakeholders including the health department, city corporations, and Pollution Control Board itself. This has led to inconsistencies in reporting the exact amount of biomedical waste generated and disposed of, with substantial quantities often ending up in landfills, along roadsides, on city outskirts, and even in water bodies.
We have proposed a system where each biomedical waste bag will be affixed with a bar code containing essential details such as the hospital’s information, total number of beds, details of the incinerator linked to the hospital, and the timestamp of waste loading into transport vehicles. Additionally, each transport vehicle will be GPS-enabled to track its movement,” stated the official.
The official pointed out that many healthcare facilities fail to accurately report their waste generation, especially those that have expanded without updating their bed capacity with KSPCB. Moreover, there are numerous unregistered medical centers contributing to the overall waste generation, which further complicates waste management efforts.
Currently, Karnataka has 48,431 registered healthcare facilities generating approximately 77,876 kg of biomedical waste daily. However, only 66,943 kg per day is treated in the state’s 25 incinerators, indicating a gap in waste treatment capacity.
KSPCB is establishing a command and control room at its head office on Church Street, Bengaluru. This facility will oversee the real-time movement of waste transport vehicles and monitor pollution levels at air quality monitoring centers across the state, including mobile units.
