Chandigarh civil hospitals, GMCH-48 to have effluent treatment plants soon

UT health secretary Yashpal Garg said, “In the recently allotted Union Budget, UT administration will now take up the agenda to set up effluent treatment plants in three civil hospitals and GMCH’s south campus in Sector 48.”

The civil hospitals in Chandigarh, located in Sectors 22, 45 and Manimajra, and the south campus of the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) at Sector 48 will soon have its own effluent treatment plant (ETP), the UT health department said.

The civil hospitals in Chandigarh, located in Sectors 22, 45 and Manimajra, and the south campus of the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) at Sector 48 will soon have its own effluent treatment plant (ETP), the UT health department said. (HT File Photo)

The ETPs, which are set up to eliminate suspended solids and organic matter before the wastewater are released into the environment or reused for various hospital purposes, are being set up in adherence with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines. Hospital water pollution is caused in various areas of the hospital, including patient wards, surgery units, clinical wards, ICU, kitchens, and laundries, and its composition varies depending on the activities performed.

UT health secretary Yashpal Garg said, “In the recently allotted Budget by the Union government, the UT administration will now take up the agenda to set up effluent treatment plants in the three civil hospitals and GMCH’s south campus in Sector 48. This is being done to control the pollution level and as per rules, hospitals with adequate bed capacities must have the treatment plants. Once tenders are allotted, it takes around nine months for the installation of each plant.”

Chief engineer of the Chandigarh administration CB Ojha said, “We will be setting up ETPs in all hospitals of Chandigarh. This is being done so that any waste from the hospital is treated in these ETPs before being discharged directly in the sewage water.”

“At present, the UT administration is also setting up the ETPs in Government Multi-Specialty Hospital-16 and Government Medical College and Hospital-32. At GMCH-32, the process of installation has already been started and is expected to be completed by July this year. However, in GMSH-16, the tenders will be floated soon for the setting up of the plant. The project will take up to nine months after the work is awarded,” Garg added.