Environment

Current Affairs-Part 1
(1 year)
 Environment
Current Affairs-Part 1
(1 year)
ABOUT ME...
• BHUMIKA SAINI
✓B.Tech , NIT Jaipur
✓Given UPSC interview four times.
✓Teaching experience of four years
Pollution...
Types of Pollution
➢Air Pollution
➢Water pollution
➢Soil Pollution
➢Noise Pollution
➢Radiation Pollution
 Air pollution
• A study conducted by the World Health Organisation revealed that air pollution could have killed at least 600,000
Indians in 2012

• Major causes of Air Pollution

· Air pollution is caused when air in the atmosphere is filled with particulate matter.
· Filters that are not changed regularly in your air conditioning units will accumulate dirt and cause the spread of
pollutants in the air you breathe inside your home.
· Chemicals and toxic pollutants likes sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide react with water molecules
in the atmosphere to produce acid rain. These pollutants come from factories, automobiles and any industrial or
manufacturing plants.
· Another source of air pollution is from dust and dirt that goes airborne due to every day labour in the agricultural
and construction industry.
· Dust is lifted from tractors working on fields, and from land clearing and general demolition in the construction
industry.
· Using household chemicals without adequate ventilation is a major source of indoor air pollution.
· Volcanoes, dust storms, and forest fires are causes of natural air pollution.
• Which of the following gases is/are associated with acid rain?
1. Sulphur Dioxide
2. Nitrogen Oxides
3. Methane
4. Ozone
Select the correct answer using the code
given below.
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1, 2 and 3 only
(c) 2, 3 and 4 only
(d) 1 and 4 only
 The National Air Quality Index (AQI)
• The Minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change launched The National Air Quality
Index (AQI) in 2014 under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
· It is outlined as ‘One Number- One Colour-One Description’ for the common man to judge
the air quality within his vicinity.
· The National AQI is published for every month by Central Pollution Control Board
(CPCB) along with a numerical value and a colour code which helps in comparing air pollution
levels in cities.
· It is determined on the basis of concentration of 8 pollutants, including Particulate Matter (PM
2.5, PM 10), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3),
ammonia (NH3) and lead (Pb).
· The colour categories are classified into 6 categories depending upon numerical value as
Good (0-50), Satisfactory (51-100), moderately polluted (101-200), Poor (201-300), Very poor
(301-400) and Severe (401-500).
Prelims 2016
• In the cities of our country, which among the following atmospheric gases are
normally considered in calculating the value of Air Quality Index?
1. Carbon dioxide
2. Carbon monoxide
3. Nitrogen dioxide
4. Sulfur dioxide
5. Methane
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 1, 4 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
Eight pollutants
 Government Declares BS-VI Rollout From 2020
• About BS-VI
• Standards are set by the Central Pollution Control Board under the Ministry of Environment & Forests and climate
change
• Objective is to regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engines and Spark ignition engines
equipment, including motor vehicles.
• Standards are based on European regulations (Euro norms).
• Current norms in India are BS IV in the remaining country
• These norms specify the maximum permissible emission limit for carbon monoxide (CO), Hydrocarbons
(HC), Nitrous oxides (NOx) and Particulate matter (PM)
• Technologies to be introduced to make vehicles BS IV compliant:-
• SCR (selective catalytic reduction) module to reduce oxides of nitrogen
• Vehicles must be fitted with DPF (diesel particulate filter) for Particulate Matter (PM) reduction
Upgrade from BS-IV to BS VI
HAWA BADLO APP

· The “Hawa Badlo App” was launched by Environmental Pollution (Prevention and
Control) Authority (EPCA), appointed by the Supreme Court to improve the air quality in Delhi
and NCR

· The app lets people report incidences of air pollution to the government. This includes reporting
incidents like leaf and garbage burning, and dust generated by construction activities.
· Each complaint would be geo-referenced and will provide the time and location where the
evidence of violation has been collected and submitted.

· The app also has a section for officials to resolve cases and upload evidence of the action taken.
· The app will generate weekly report which will be sent to Centre and State Pollution Control
Boards.
 Environment Ministry notifies Graded Response Action
Plan to combat air pollution in NCR
• The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has notified the Graded Response
Action Plan to combat air pollution in NCR Delhi region.

• The Delhi specific comprehensive action plan was prepared by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
and was submitted to the Supreme Court in December 2016.

• The court had accepted the plan and asked the Union Government to notify it.

• Particulate Matter (PM): They are tiny particles of dust which can cause very serious respiratory disorders and
even damage the lungs.
•Graded Response Action Plan defines the measures to taken
based on air quality on the basis of PM 2.5 and PM 10.

•Based on the air quality the grades have been classified as

Emergency, Severe, Very Poor and Moderate poor. It will be
enforced by Environment Pollution Control Authority
(EPCA).

•Under this plan emergency measures will be automatically

enforced in NCR if level of PM2.5 breaches 300 micrograms
per cubic metre (µgm/m3) and PM10 levels stay above 500
(µgm/m3)for two consecutive days.
 Ammonia detected in the upper Troposphere
• · Scientists for the first time have detected ammonia in the upper troposphere.

· It was found in highest concentrations above Asian monsoon regions of India and China.
· The ammonia (NH3) was released into the atmosphere as agricultural emission from
livestock farming and fertilisation.
· The detected ammonia may be playing a role in the formation of aerosol in the
troposphere.
· The aerosol may have an influence on the cloud formation and altering properties of
existing clouds
• The gas (NH3) is most likely coming from livestock farming and fertilization in those countries, the researchers
said.
Significance of the discovery:-
· Plants and crops need ammonia to grow, but too much of it can harm the environment and human health.
· The gas may act as a cooling agent and help compensate for the humancaused greenhouse gas effect.
· Ammonia can act as an aerosol, or teensy particles suspended in the atmosphere. Aerosols often act as "cloud
seeds" around which cloud droplets can form.
· Aerosols are the smallest particles known to contribute to cloud formation.
• About Troposphere
· The troposphere starts at Earth's surface and goes up to a height of 7 to 20
km (4 to 12 miles, or 23,000 to 65,000 feet) above sea level.
· It includes up to 80 percent of Earth's atmosphere.
· Almost all weather occurs within this layer.
· Nearly all of the water vapor and dust particles in the atmosphere are in
the troposphere. That is why most clouds are found in this lowest layer, too.
· Air is warmest at the bottom of the troposphere near ground level
• Researchers for the first time detected trace amount of Ammonia in upper troposphere.
· It was most concentrated in the upper layer of the troposphere above India and China due to high
agricultural emission from livestock farming and fertilisation.
Why is this Discovery Important?
· It shows that ammonia released on Earth’s surface due to agricultural processes survives all the way
to the upper troposphere, and is not washed out completely by monsoon.
· It means that ammonia not only pollutes the local ecosystem but also plays a role in formation of
Aerosols.
· The accumulation of aerosols in the troposphere is thought to have a cooling effect, as clouds reflect
the sun's energy.
· It may provide an alternative way to mitigate the human-induced effects of climate change
 Aerosols
• · Aerosols are tiny particles made from super-fine
solid particles and liquid droplets carried in the
atmosphere

• · They often act as ‘cloud condensation nuclei’

around which cloud droplets are formed.

• · Aerosols can also modify the size of existing

cloud particles, and change how the clouds reflect
and absorb sunlight, leading to haze and much
redder sunrises and sunsets.
 FLY ASH UTILIZATION POLICY
• · The Maharashtra state cabinet has recently approved the State Thermal Power Plant Ash Utilization Policy.
With this it has become the first state to adopt this policy.
· The policy seeks to curb transport of fly ash produced in the coal-based thermal plants and stipulates
measures to utilize all coal waste at source.

• About Fly Ash

· Fly ash is one of the coal combustion products and is composed of fine particles that are driven out of the
boiler with flue gases. Ash that falls at the bottom of the boiler is called bottom ash.
· Fly ash includes substantial amounts of oxides of silica, aluminum and calcium. Element like Arsenic,
Boron,
Chromium, lead etc. are also found in trace concentrations. It, thus, poses hazards to environment and health.
· Due to the presence of these minerals it has certain unique properties. It can be used as construction
material, filling old mines, building railway embankments, and reclamation of low-lying areas.
Significance

· It will help in cutting down air pollution as much of the fly ash pollutes the
air while transportation.
· This would help in saving ash transportation cost, Rs. 2000 crore at present,
borne by the power stations.
· This could lead to cutting the cost of power to consumers.
· This would become the source of additional revenue for the government.
 Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
• · Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), organic compounds that contain fluorine and hydrogen
atoms, are the most common type of organofluorine compounds.
· They are commonly used in air conditioning and as refrigerants in place of the older
chlorofluorocarbons and hydro chlorofluorocarbons.
· These gases had replaced CFCs under the 1987 Montreal Protocol to protect Earth’s
Ozone layer.
· In recent times, it was found that HFCs have several thousand times capacity in
retaining heat in the atmosphere compared to carbon dioxide (CO2), a potent GHG.
· Thus, it can be said that HFCs have helped ozone layer but exacerbated global warming.
· In September 2016, the so-called New York Declaration urged a global reduction in the
use of HFCs.
· On 15 October 2016, at the summit of the United Nations Environment Programme in
Kigali, Rwanda reached a legally-binding accord to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
in an amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
IGI is Asia-Pacific’s first ‘carbon neutral’
airport
• The Indira Gandhi International Airport here has become Asia-Pacific’s only and
one of the world’s few airports to achieve a “carbon neutral” status.

• Carbon Neutral status

A company is carbon neutral if it maintains an equal balance between the carbon
dioxide released into the air.
Stubble Burning

• The Indian state of Punjab has two growing seasons: one from May to September
and another from November to April.

• In November, farmers in Punjab typically sow crops such as wheat and vegetables.
They often set fire to their fields to clear them before planting, a practice known as
stubble burning
 Benefits of keeping residues:-

The adequate crop residue is one of the most important factors for healthy and
productive soils.
Crop residue can:-
· Provide a protective layer for soil erosion by wind or water
· Increase the organic matter and water holding capacity of the soil
· Provide “feed and forage” for earth worms.
· An improved C:N ratio under residue retention increases and maintains higher
microbial activity, ensuring more rapid organic matter decomposition and nutrient
release to the soil
• Advantages of stubble burning:-
It can also help prevent catastrophic fires by reducing fuel loads.
It provides ease of tillage, seeding and other field operations can be enhanced by burning
excess crop residue.

• Disadvantages of stubble burning:-

· It decreases readily assimilated carbon sources for microbes.
· It decreases soil ammonium levels and available soil phosphorus.
· It causes increased erodibility, lower organic matter levels and reduced water intake and
retention
· Paddy stubble burning causes an alarmingly dangerous increase in air pollution by thick
blanket of smog.
· Hazy weather is caused due to the increased pollution levels
It causes serious threat to human health including breathing problems, allergies and asthma
attacks
 NEERDHUR
• CSIR-NEERI’s initiative to develop a domestic multi-fuel stove: NEERDHUR, an
Improved
Cook Stove (ICS) has been developed for:-
· Improved stove efficiency,
· Emission reduction and intensive stakeholder interactions to address issues of adoption
such as stove cost, stove maintenance, fuel affordability, and availability.
It is a multi-fuel (biomass, charcoal, agro residue etc.) stove with hybrid operation modes.
 Aviation Climate Accord

The world’s first agreement to curb aviation’s greenhouse gas pollution has
been struck by 191 nations in a landmark United Nations accord.
Some important facts about the deal:-
· It applies to passenger and cargo flights.
· Deal aims at reducing the growing climate impact of plane travel
· The new system will be voluntary until 2027
Winter Fog Experiment (WIFEX 2016- 17)
Objectives

• · The objectives of the Winter Fog Experiment (WIFEX) are to develop better
now-casting (next 6 hours) and forecasting of winter fog on various time and spatial
scales.
· Help reduce its adverse impact on aviation, transportation and economy, and loss
of human life due to accidents.
 Scientific objectives
• The main scientific objective of this project is to study:-
· The characteristics and variability of fog events and associated dynamics,
· Thermodynamics and fog microphysics, With the aim to achieve better understanding of fog life cycle and
ultimately improve capability in fog prediction.
Fog
· Fog is a visible mass consisting of cloud water droplets suspended in the air or near the Earth’s surface.
· The presence of heavy and extended period fog in the northern regions of India is one of the major weather
hazards.
· Fog is basically a low-lying cloud where accumulation of water takes place from local water bodies.
· Fog rarely lasts longer after sunrise and has no major ill effect other than reducing visibility.
· But it becomes harmful when this fog is mixed with other pollutants to form smog.
Formation of Smog:-
Air pollutants from cars like sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and various industrial pollutants like carbon
monoxide, volatile organic compounds, ozone and particulate matter mix with fog to form a dense layer in the
atmosphere called smog
 NGT bans open waste burning
• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday imposed a complete ban on burning of waste in open places and
announced a fine of Rs. 25,000 on each incident of bulk waste burning and Rs. 5,000 in case of simple burning.
It further held that non-biodegradable waste and non-recyclable plastic shouldbe segregated from the landfill sites and
used for construction of roads and embankments in all road projects.
Effects of open waste burning
Some of the pollutants contained in the smoke from open burning of garbage can include:
· Dioxins
· Furans
· Arsenic
· Mercury
· PCBs
· Lead
· Carbon monoxide
· Nitrogen oxides
· Sulphur oxides
· Hydrochloric acid
Some of these pollutants can also end up in the ash that is left behind from open burning of garbage
• Fine particulate matters can cause various respiratory problems including persistent
coughs, wheezing and physical discomfort.
Chemicals contained in smoke, when mixed with rainwater, can speed in the
deterioration of manmade materials such as concrete, metal products and paint

• Exposure to dioxins and furans has been linked to:

· Certain types of cancers
· Liver problems
· Impairment of the immune system, the endocrine system, and reproductive
functions
· Effects on the developing nervous system and other developmental events
Water Pollution
Cargo ships collide at Ennore port
• Collision of the ships at Ennore port has resulted into the oil spill.

• A rapidly spreading oil spill off the Ennore coast has impacted the livelihoods of
fishermen, threatened the aquatic biodiversity along the coast.
3 Super Suckers and submersible pumps were deployed to remove the oil spill. The
Coast Guard also sprayed Oil Spill Dispersants for removal of oil slick
• Over 140 tonnes of sludge (mixture of oil, water, ocean material) was removed during the ongoing clean-up
operation.
There is a vast difference between quantity of oil spilled and sludge recovered due to the fact that the oil gets
coagulated and becomes puffy when it is mixed with water, sand etc.
The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is provided special bio-remediation material for treatment of the collected oil
sludge for safe disposal.
Effects of Oil spills
· Bunker oil is heavy oil. With weight and density, it will become like a tarball, and sink to the sea bottom and
settle on the sea bed.
· This will restrict the oxygen supply to marine life. Once fishes come into contact with the oil, their
respiratory system will get affected and they will die.
· Turtles need to come up to the surface to breathe while in the sea.
Sometimes, they ingest surface water while taking in air. If oil ingested, can become cause of their death.
· Oil spill is remain in eco system can led to poisoning marine life all the way up the food chain and causing
irreparable damage to humans as well as to the marine ecosystem.
· There is heavy concentration of nine heavy materials such as zinc, lead and arsenic in spilled oil, which
are non-biodegradable and cannot be removed by bioremediation
• · The thick oil also washes ashore creating reservoirs on the beaches of toxic chemicals.
· Because the oil forms a film on the surface, it reduces the amount of light and oxygen
passing into the water.
Bio-remediation
· Bioremediation is a natural process where very small living organisms called
microbes are used to clean up the contaminated soil.
· The special microbes are added with nutrients for treating the collected sludge.
· Research and Development (R&D) center of India recently deployed a non-hazardous
bio-remediation process named "Oilivorous-STM“ which was developed by the Centre to
deal with such onshore oil spills.
· Microbes are the oldest form of life on the earth and millions of them can fit into the eye
of a needle.
· In this process, identified microbes eat away the oil and sludge, leaving the soil
completely oil-free and harmless
 Ban Disposal of Micro-Plastic Into Sea, Fishermen
Forum Urges Centre

• The National Fisherfolk Forum (NFF) has urged the central government to ban the disposal of micro-
plastic into the sea.
Harmful effects of micro plastics in the sea
· Micro plastics have been defined as synthetic organic polymer particles with a size less than 5 mm.
· Microplastics are easily ingested by fish, mussels and other sea animals Chemicals in plastics and
also chemicals which attach themselves to plastic in the natural environment could cause:-
· Poisoning
· Infertility
· Genetic disruption in marine life,
· And potentially all the above effects in humans if ingested in high quantities
 Cleaning of Rivers Under NamamiGange
Mission
•
The NamamiGangeprogramme is an umbrella programme to ensure effective abatement of pollution and
conservation of the river Ganga and all its tributaries.
Under the current NamamiGangeprogramme, other than river Ganga, pollution abatement work is taken up on
certain critical tributaries like Ramganga, Kali and Yamuna as a first priority.
Its implementation has been divided into:-
· Entry-Level Activities (for immediate visible impact)
· Medium-Term Activities (to be implemented within 5 years of time frame)
· Long-Term Activities (to be implemented within 10 years)
The works are executed by the State Project Management Groups (SPMGs) of the respective States through
the designated Executing Agencies.
The NGRBA has resolved that no untreated municipal sewage or industrial effluent will be discharged into river
Ganga by year 2020.
Construction and beautification of Ghats are included under “Entry Level Activities” of NamamiGange. As
on 30th Sep., 2016, schemes for 118 Ghats have been approved in the five main-stem Ganga states
 Chemicals banned in 1970s discovered in
deep ocean fauna
• Scientists have found high levels of humanmade pollutants, including chemicals that were banned in the 1970s,
lingering in the tissues of marine creatures that dwell in the deepest oceans of the Earth.
Researchers found extremely high levels of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the organism’s fatty
tissue.
These include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominateddiphenyl ethers (PBDEs) which are commonly
used as electrical insulators and flame retardants.
PCBs were banned in the 1970s, but these pollutants are resistant to the degradation by environment, thus stays in
environment for long time.
The pollutants may have found their way to the trenches through contaminated plastic debris and dead animals
sinking to the bottom of the ocean.
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
· Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic compounds that are resistant to environmental
degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes.
· Because of their persistence, POPs bio-accumulate with potential significant impacts on human health and the
environment.
· POPs are lipophilic, which means that they accumulate in the fatty tissue of living animals and human beings
• In fatty tissue, the concentrations can become magnified by up to 70 000 times
higher than the background levels.
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutant
· It is an international environmental treaty, signed in 2001 and effective from May
2004, that aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent organic
pollutants (POPs)
 Cabinet approves the River Ganga (Rejuvenation,
Protection and Management) Authorities Order,
2016.
• Salient Features:
· Order will provide for Creation of the National Council for River Ganga (Rejuvenation,
Protection and Management), as an Authority for overall responsibility for
superintendence of pollution prevention and rejuvenation of river Ganga Basin.
Setting up of an Empowered Task Force
· Creation of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), as an Authority with powers to
issue directions and also to exercise the powers under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
and to enable it to carry out efficiently its mandate.
· At the State level, it is proposed to create the State Ganga Committees in each of the
defined States
• At District Ganga Committees in each of the Ganga Bank Districts will carry out the assigned tasks as
an Authority at the district level
Other main features
· NMCG will take action only in the event when required action is not taken by CPCB.
· A special focus of the revamped structure would be to maintain required ecological flows in the river
Ganga with the aim of ensuring water quality and environmentally sustainable development.
· For taking up fast track creation of sewerage treatment infrastructure in Ganga basin, an innovative
model based on Hybrid Annuity has also been approved.
· In order to ensure transparency and cost effectiveness, a provision for concurrent audit, safety audits,
research institutions and financial framework has been made.
Ganga Action Plan
The Ganga Action Plan (GAP) Phase-I was launched in 1985.
Later GAP Phase-II was initiated in 1993
with the objective of improving the water quality of river Ganga In May, 2015, the Government
approved the Namami Gange programme as a comprehensive mechanism to take up initiatives for
rejuvenation of river Ganga and its tributaries as a Central Sector Scheme with hundred per cent funding
INDIA’S FIRST ‘GREEN CORRIDOR’

· The 114-km-long Manamadurai–Rameswaram stretch of Southern Railway

became India’s first ‘Green corridor’.
· All the trains in this route will have bio-toilets and there would be zero
discharge of human waste on tracks in the section.
· Rameswaram railway station had already been developed as a ‘Green Station’ to
handle the bio-toilets in the coaches.
 About Bio toilets
• · Indian Railway had developed the environment friendly ‘IR-DRDO Bio-toilets’, in
association with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
· Indian railways aims to install human waste discharge free biotoilets in all its coaches and
the same would be completed by September 2019.
· It will help in proving cleanliness and hygiene besides preventing corrosion of the tracks.
· It is part of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
HOW BlO-TOILETS WORK?
Bea-toilets have a colony of anaerobic bacteria that converts human waste into water and small amounts
of gases. The gases are released into the atmosphere and the water is discharged after chlonrination on
the tracks.
 Centre to ban use of 18 pesticides harmful to
humans and animals
•
Acting on advice of an expert committee, the Centre will ban use of 18 out of 66 pesticides in India
as it involves risk to humans and animals.
• Though these pesticides are banned or restricted in other countries, it continues to be used in India.
Some of these pesticides are highly toxic to honey bees and birds.
• Anupamverma Committee report
• The decision to ban these pesticides is taken after considering recommendations of an expert
committee, headed by former national professor of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI)
AnupamVarma.
• The committee, constituted in July 2013, had reviewed use of 66 pesticides which are banned or
restricted in many countries.
Some hazardous pesticides not in banned list
• · Paraquat Dichloride is a highly hazardous herbicide, which is already banned in
Kerala, but is used in rest of India.
· The use of paraquat is banned or disallowed in at least 32 countries including
members of European Union due to its adverse health effects.
· Glyphosate, a widely used herbicide is also not on the ban list, even though the
World Health Organisation recently classified it as a carcinogenic chemical
 Endosulfan

· Endosulfan is the most toxic pesticide having hazardous effects on human genetic and
endocrine systems.
· Endosulfan became a highly controversial agrichemical due to its acute toxicity, potential
for bioaccumulation, and role as an endocrine disruptor.
· A global ban on the manufacture and use of endosulfan was negotiated under the
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in April 2011.
· It is still used extensively in India, China, and few other countries.
· It is sprayed as pesticide on crops like cotton, fruits, tea, paddy, cashew, tobacco etc. for
control of pests in agriculture such as whiteflies, aphids, beetles, worms etc.
Arsenic Contamination
• Arsenic is a natural component in the earth’s crust. It is widely distributed throughout the
environment in air, water and land. It is highly toxic in its inorganic form.

• Contaminated water used for drinking, irrigation and food preparation poses the greatest threat to
public health from arsenic.
· Long-term exposure to arsenic from drinking-water and food can lead to chronic arsenic
poisoning.
· It is a high-profile problem in the Ganges Delta, due to the use of deep tube-wells for water
supply. The groundwater in the tube-wells have high concentrations of arsenic in deeper levels
Arsenic Poisoning
 NGT orders inspection of biomedical waste plants
• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered inspection of plants which treat waste in
the hospitals of the National Capital Delhi and ensure proper segregation, collection and
disposal of such waste.

• The waste plants will be inspected by joint inspection team of Central Pollution Control
Board (CPCB) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).

• The NGT also directed the team to submit report about manner in which bio-medical waste
was being handled by hospitals and situation prevailing in medical institutions adversely
affecting human health and environment.

• Earlier the tribunal had asked hospitals and clinics to ensure proper collection, segregation
and disposal of bio-medical waste.
 What is Bio-medical waste?
• Bio-medical waste is any solid or liquid waste including its container and any intermediate
product generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings or animals
or research activities.
• Biomedical waste poses hazard due to two principal reasons – toxicity and infectivity.
• Bio Medical waste consists of human anatomical waste like organs, tissues and body parts, waste
sharps like hypodermic needles, syringes, scalpels and broken glass, discarded medicines and
cytotoxic drugs, liquid waste from any of infected areas etc.
• In 2016, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests had issued new Bio-medical Waste
Management Rules, 2016 for proper discarding of the bio-medical waste.
• In India, total bio-medical waste generated is 484 tonnes per day (TPD) from 1,68,869 healthcare
facilities (HCF), out of which 447 TPD is treated.
Thank
You…