SEPA's Notice On Burning Medical Waste By Civil Hospital Nowshero Feroz Despite Having Incinerator

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Oct, 2020 ) :The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has sent a senior officer from its headquarters in Karachi to the site of the burning of infectious waste in the Civil Hospital Nowshero Feroze despite of having an incinerator.

SEPA ADG Waqar Hussain Phulpoto inspected the direct violation so that strict legal action could be taken against the hospital at the highest level.

According to details, on the special directives of Sindh Government Spokesperson and Advisor to the Chief Minister on Law, Environment, Climate Change and Coastal Development Barrister Murtaza Wahab and SEPA Director General Naeem Ahmed Mughal, the Additional Director General SEPA Headquarters Waqar Hussain Phulpoto along with Regional Incharge SEPA Sukkur Ajmal Khan Tanio and in-charge District Nowshero Feroze Asadullah Tanio, Assistant Director and Zalifqar Ali Bhatti visited the Civil Hospital of Nowshero Feroze and expressed their displeasure over the lack of sanitation and conventionally burning its medical waste despite of having an incinerator.

The team recommended to the higher authorities to issue a notice to the hospital management so that the hospital administration could run the incinerator at full capacity as soon as possible and save the environment and the surrounding population from the toxic gases emitted from burning medical waste.

In addition, the SEPA team, while conducting operations in different areas of Nowshero Feroz City, raided the shops of wholesalers and retailers supplying and selling non-biodegradable plastic bags and confiscated banned plastic bags.

On the occasion, Additional Director General Waqar Hussain Phulpoto, who was on a special visit from SEPA Karachi, told the media that raids were carried out on small and big shops which were selling banned plastic bags in different areas of Nowshero Feroze city and shop owners, wholesalers and retailers were issued notices on the spot and it has been decided to take strict action against them after confiscating a large quantity of illegal bags and meanwhile cases against them will also be forwarded to the Judicial Magistrate.

SEPA's action was aimed at strictly enforcing the notification issued by the Sindh government regarding the ban on plastic bags. And any shopkeeper found involved in the sale or manufacture of insoluble plastic bags will be subject to the strictest legal action under the SEPA Act 2014.