MPCB warns JNIMS over waste disposal
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, April 20 2025:
The Manipur Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has issued a warning to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) for disposing biomedical waste at its complex inappropriately, following which the hospital authorities have started digging out the waste from the pits.
The biomedical waste were initially dumped openly at its campus close to the Central Dairy Plant and Modern College boys' hostel, and later buried in pits after The Sangai Express exposed the improper disposal of the waste.
The waste were removed in the presence of MPCB officials including its Member Secretary Dr W Roshan Singh, Assistant Environmental Engineer M Bangajit, Informative Officer L Hemoranjan and Sample Collector T Umananda Sharma today.
JNIMS Director Dr L Usharani, Medical Superintendent Dr Kh Lokeshwor, Technical Supervisor of Incinerator Plant Arju Oinam and other senior officials of the hospital were also present at the site.
The Sangai Express published two reports on JNIMS violating "The Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016" in managing biomedical and chemical waste on April 4 and 5, 2025, following which the JNIMS Director issued an action taken report on April 6, claiming that most of the waste were general waste and some biomedical waste may have gotten mixed unintentionally.
Even as the JNIMS authorities issued the action taken report, piles of waste were found buried in pits and covered with earth when this reporter visited the dumping site again on April 9, with coloured bags scattered near the pits.
The Sangai Express has photos and videos documenting the scene, and a report on the improper disposal of toxic waste was published again today.
Meanwhile, a team of MPCB officials, led by its Member Secretary W.Roshan, held a meeting with the JNIMS Director and Medical Superintendent regarding the disposal of waste at the hospital complex.
Later, the officials along with some media personnel inspected the site where the waste are being buried.
After the inspection, the MPCB officials directed that the biomedical waste be disposed at the incinerator plant of the hospital and the general waste to the Lamdeng solid waste treatment plant.
Even during the inspection, the JNIMS Director insisted that the waste buried at the site were general waste, but some biomedical waste might have gotten mixed.
However, when only a portion of a pit covered with earth was dug out using heavy machinery, coloured bags containing biomedical and chemical waste such as gloves, urine bags, intravenous tubes etc emerged in complete contradiction to the claim of the JNIMS Director.
Speaking to the media on the sideline, MPCB Secretary W Roshan said that they have instructed the JNIMS authorities to remove all the waste buried at the site and dispose the biomedical and general waste separately.
He further said that they have instructed the hospital authorities to either burn the biomedical waste at its incinerator or dispose it through treatment.
Saying that lime will be sprayed at the contaminated site after all the waste are removed, he added that MPCB will closely monitor to ascertain whether the incinerators at JNIMS function regularly or not.
Further stating that there are guidelines to dispose biomedical waste, he added that MPCB will closely monitor how private and Government hospitals manage their waste despite the shortage of staff.
Strict actions will be taken against any establishment which violates "The Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016" .
L Usharani, on the other hand, said that JNIMS has been disposing biomedical waste at the hospital's incinerator plant.
She said that the hospital, however, faced some problems in managing general waste, and that was the reason why they dumped the waste at its southern complex and buried it.
She also claimed that general waste were put in yellow and red polythene bags due to shortage of green bags.
Admitting that the hospital failed to segregate the waste, the JNIMS Director added that they had been putting in efforts to not compromise public health.
She also said that the general waste will be sent to Lamdeng after segregation and the biomedical waste, if found at the site, will be burnt at its incinerators.
Later, the Manipur Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and Jawharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) officials inspected the incinerators of the hospital.
Some biomedical waste were burnt at the incinerator plant.
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