Director General, Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), Naeem Ahmad Mughal presided over an environmental review session held here for the installation and operation of four incinerators for the disposal of medical waste in an environmentally friendly manner in various hospitals. In the meeting of experts after examining the environmental impact of the four incinerators, it was decided that environmental approval for their installation and operation would be given in due course of time, keeping in view of the public opinions taken earlier on them, said a statement on Tuesday. It is to be noted that the Sindh Government is taking all-out measures to prevent further spread of AIDS in Larkana which was spreading on a limited scale over there in the recent past. Safe disposal of hospital waste eliminates the risk of the spread of any infectious diseases including AIDS; therefore, the plan for the installation and operation of subject incinerators in various hospitals of the referred district is being speedily examined to assess their environmental implications. With the financial support of the World Health Organization and the managerial supervision of the Dept of Health Sindh, one incinerator with the capacity of 50 kilograms per hour of medical waste will be installed at Sheikh Zayed Women’s Hospital, Larkana, while one each of the capacity of 20 kg of waste per hour will be installed at Taluka Hospital RatoDero and Rural Hospital Nodero.In addition, the place of the installation of the fourth incinerators with a capacity of 10 kg of medical waste per hour will be decided by the Health department. Advisor to the Chief Minister on Law, Environment, Climate Change, and Coastal Development Barrister MurtazaWahab had directed SEPA to conduct an environmental review of all such projects directly related to the public interest on a priority basis. They should be approved without delay while fulfilling their necessary environmental requirements.
