Despite the appearance of normalcy on the streets, Bangladesh has not left behind the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic yet, with daily cases remaining steady.
At such a time, it is crucial that, in addition to people maintaining social distancing and practicing healthy habits such as regular hand-washing, waste management is also given the seriousness it warrants.
To that end, it is unfortunate that, when it comes to the proper management and disposal of waste, Bangladesh continues to struggle. Fighting the Covid-19 pandemic has naturally led to a remarkable increase in biomedical waste -- over 200 tons of medical waste are being produced on a daily basis -- but it appears that there is no proper system to manage this waste safely.
This is extremely worrying; not only is the safe management of biomedical waste absolutely necessary for maintaining a safe and clean environment, and failure to do so poses a significant environmental threat, but according to the medical journal Lancet, it can also be a potential source of re-emergence of Covid-19 infections.
The authorities must prioritize this issue of dealing with medical waste. It must ensure that the waste is properly separated from regular waste, and is disposed of safely so as to not cause further degradation to the environment.
With people often flouting social distancing rules, and the cleanliness of our cities already a potential health hazard for so many citizens, carelessness and mismanagement with regards to dangerous medical waste is simply exacerbating an already dire situation, and cannot be allowed to continue.
