Shillong, June 26: The Committee on Environment of the Meghalaya Assembly has taken a strong note as many hospitals do not have incinerators for proper disposal of biological and organic wastes.

The committee has directed eight out of twelve hospitals to commission their effluent treatment plants (ETPs) within 15 days.

After summoning the officials of the health department and Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) during its meeting held here on Wednesday, chairman of the committee, SK Sun told reporters that none of the hospitals in the city and other parts of the state have incinerators to treat waste, except the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS).

He informed that none of the ETPs installed by the hospitals have been commissioned.

“The sad thing is that, there is only one incinerator at dumping ground at Mawlai Mawïong, which is looking after by the Shillong Municipal Board and all organic wastes from different hospitals are being collected and treated there. However this incinerator also is not functioning for the last one year,” Sun said.

“We have asked them to take necessary action to ensure incinerator function. For bigger project, they have prepared a DPR to get sanction from the Ministry of Environment and Forest for installation of the treatment plant for organic waste,” Sun added.

“After the meeting, they have assured that the ETPs of 8 out of 12 hospitals will commission within 15 days,” he said.

Mawsynram legislator Himalaya M Shangpliang and member of the committee has also expressed disappointment as the health department and MSPCB were not being able to give satisfactory reply relating to the management of biological and organic wastes from hospitals in the city, which is very pathetic.

“We have given the MSPCB 15 days to conduct an inspection to all hospitals in the city and submit a report to the committee. Once we get the report, the committee will conduct an inspection of all these hospitals as well,” Shangpliang informed.

On hospitals not conforming to regulations including safety plans, committee member, George B Lyngdoh also said that if the hospitals do not conform within six months, the concerned department will be bound to close down those hospitals.