NGT AP panel chief suggests STP in SVIMS

Tirupati: State-level Committee of NGT (National Green Tribunal) chairman Justice B Seshasayana Reddy sought the Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) management to consider setting up a sewage treatment plant for reuse of sewage water to improve greenery in the sprawling hospital complex including its women college in the same hospital campus.

Justice Reddy along with AP Pollution Control Board (APPCB) senior officials on Thursday took up an extensive inspection in Tirumala and down the hills Tirupati covering TTD's solid waste management and sewage water treatment plants and Aswini Hospital in Tirumala, SVIMS Hospital, Municipal Corporation's compost yards, dumping yard at Ramapuram, sewage treatment plant in Thukivakam, waste-based gas production project of Mahindra company and scientific management of debris also located in Thukivakam near the city.

At SVIMS, Dean Srinivasa Rao made a powerpoint presentation on the arrangements in place for waste management including scientific handling of bio-medical waste generated in the hospital which is about 100 kgs daily, adhering to the government rules. Rao said that the hospital should clear bio-medical waste twice and also set up a common bio-medical waste storage point for the convenience of the visiting patients also.

NGT State Committee chairman said that keeping in view the hospital bed strength which is 1,000, patients inflow and also TTD support to the hospital, the SVIMS management should consider setting up its own sewage water treatment plant for reuse of the sewage water discharge from the hospital and its institutions for maintaining gardens and plantations to improve the greenery in the sprawling hospital complex including the newly set up Sri Padmavathi Women Medical College.

The chairman later inspected Emergency, Cath Lab and many other departments and also SVIMS dump yard. Later, Justice Seshasayana Reddy inspected the compost yard in Prakasam Park where the corporation set up a unit for manure manufacturing based of dry waste, bio-chest set up in the municipal main vegetable market for manufacturing compost based on vegetable waste. He also inspected the waste-based gas manufacturing unit, scientific handling of debris and construction materials of the corporation in Thukivakam and also the dumping yard in Ramapuram.

The municipal corporation authorities while explaining the measures taken up for effective handling of both solid and wet waste generated daily which is about 190 tonnes in the city said efforts are on to promote residents producing manure from house hold wet waste to minimise the waste generation.

Expressing satisfaction on the Corporation steps for proper handling of waste in the city, NGT State Committee chairman however wanted the corporation to strive for better performance to become another Indore city of Madhya Pradesh which has been maintaining number one place in the country with regard to waste management and the cleanest city title.