Quetta, In response to growing concerns about hazardous waste management, Balochistan’s government has announced a new initiative to ensure the proper disposal of toxic waste from public and private hospitals throughout the province. The announcement was made by Naseemur Rehman Khan Malakhil, the Provincial Adviser on Climate Change and Environment, during a meeting on hospital waste disposal in Quetta.
According to Directorate General Public Relation – Govt of Balochistan, the initiative comes as part of a directive from Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, who has prioritized environmental health. During the meeting, Secretary Environment Nadeer Rehman and Director General Environment Yasir Bazai reported on the progress made over the past six months. They highlighted that although eight hospitals in the region have human waste disposal units installed, only four are operational, collectively handling over 22,000 kg of waste.
The provincial government’s actions include issuing fines to nine hospitals for violating waste management regulations, sending notices to 48 hospitals, and processing cases for three hospitals through the Environmental Protection Tribunal of Balochistan. Currently, Quetta is home to 15 government and 78 private hospitals, underscoring the urgency and scope of the waste management problem.
Provincial Adviser Malakhil emphasized the necessity of activating human waste disposal units in all hospitals and called for regular monitoring of the waste destruction process as per hygienic standards. He also ordered strict oversight of hospital waste transportation and regular inspections of waste disposal sites to safeguard public health.
Malakhil further instructed district officers and personnel to ensure strict compliance with their duties and warned that negligence in implementing these new measures would not be tolerated. This campaign signifies a robust governmental effort to provide a clean and safe environment for the residents of Balochistan, aligning with broader environmental protection and public health goals.