Five leading hospitals of Sundargarh district, including two Government hospitals, have been issued notices by the Regional Officer of the State Pollution Control Board, Rourkela, for flouting the norm of waste water treatment. These hospitals have been advised to comply with the formalities at the earliest.
Sources said as per the provision of the Odisha Water Prevention and Control of Pollution (Amendment) Rules (OWPCPR) 2015 and subsequent notification, the healthcare facilities having 100 beds and above are coming under the preview of OWPCPR 2015 and therefore should obtain consent to establish and operate from the Odisha State Pollution Control Board.
Accordingly, M Mahalinga, Regional Officer of OSPCB, Rourkela served a notice to as many as five leading hospitals of the district like Ispat General Hospital, Rourkela, Rourkela Government Hospital, Rourkela, District Headquarters Government Hospital, Sundargarh, Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital, Rourkela and CWS Hospital, Rourkela during last week of August 2016, intimating them about the provision of OWPCPR 2015 and advising them to comply with the formalities at the earliest. “Since, these hospitals have not complied with the formalities yet, even after our previous notices, we have served notices to five leading hospitals of the district to establish waste water treatment plant and obtain consent to operate from us,” said Regional Officer of OSPCB, Rourkela Mahalinga.
Significantly, the Rourkela Government Hospital, despite being a Government owned 250 bedded hospital, as per the letter issued by OSPCB Rourkela office, has not yet applied for consent to operate, even though the amendment had come in to force more than a year back.
“We are in receipt of the notice of the OSPCB, Rourkela, following which we have applied for consent to operate online and also prepared an estimate for establishing waste water treatment plant at our hospital,” said Chief Medical Officer, RGH RC Behera. “We have requested the Health Department to allocate necessary funds for the purpose,” Behera added.
The Ispat General Hospital, a hospital owned and managed by Steel Authority of India ltd, according to sources, has already applied for consent to operate and as per the requirement the installation of waste water treatment facility in the hospital has been under progress.
“We have already received application for consent to operate from the DHH, Sundargarh, whereas two private hospitals like Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital and CWS Hospital, Rourkela have not yet applied for the same,” said Mahalinga.