Medical waste dumped into waterbody raises health concerns

The waste packed in plastic bags contained gloves, masks, syringes and intravenous needles, said residents, who blamed the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) for not taking any action despite complaining several times.

The biomedical waste was being dumped in trucks late at night, said Pugazhvendan V, an activist, adding: “When passing through this way, I saw huge sacks dumped in the waterbody and later found that they contained medical waste and expired medicines.”“If this continues, only plastic and chemical wastes will be found inside their stomach. These waste dumped in the water body will also affect the groundwater in the locality,” Pugazhvendan added. Blaming the TNPCB, Nivetha P, a resident said, “When we filed complaints with TNPCB officials, they promised to visit the place and clear the waste immediately. We also told the registration number of the trucks. But no action has been taken.”When contacted, a TNPCB official said they were not able to find out who was dumping the waste and when. “The residents can inform the local body officials to get it cleared,” the official said.