By Dr Ahmed Mohiuddin Siddiqui
In celebrating the World Environment Day, which falls on June 5, the Sultanate of Oman’s frontline community activist, cancer and COVID-19 warrior and environmentalist, Dr Manal Abdul Majeed Al Zadjali says there is huge medical waste generated all over the world every year and could be more hazardous because of COVID-19.
Dr Manal believes that waste management is an essential public service in the fight to beat COVID-19 and she referred to the UN Environment’s view that effective management of biomedical and health-care waste requires appropriate identification, collection, separation, storage, transportation, treatment and disposal.
It also involves other important associated aspects that include disinfection, personnel protection and training.
Advertisement
Speaking exclusively to Maravi Express on the eve of World Environment Day, Dr Manal asked people to use the UN Basel Convention’s technical guidelines on the environmentally sound management of biomedical and healthcare wastes.
This includes information and practical aspects of waste management useful for authorities seeking to minimize hazards to human health and the environment.
Operation Beach Clean up in Muscat in 2020
She explained that a company — Oman Environmental Services Holding, Be’ah — is responsible for solid waste management in Oman that deals with healthcare waste of infected or suspected cases of the COVID-19 in the Sultanate as per the set norms.
In Oman, the medical waste management process has professional procedures as the waste is tightly placed in double bags, while strictly enforcing the preventive measures for all the workers, such as wearing masks, gloves, protective goggles and vests.
Beach Clean Up done and dusted
The packed bags are then put in separate special containers. They are transferred to the waste treatment facilities, designed specifically to address the harmful and infectious aspect of the waste.
Thereafter, the waste is treated immediately either by incinerators or autoclave devices. Incinerators burn the waste while the autoclaves machines are used that sterilize the waste to render it harmless to humans.
The trucks and containers are cleaned and sterilized as soon as the containers are unloaded and the waste is discharged into the treatment devices.
Dr Manal observed that such efficient practices help in keeping the people of the Sultanate healthy and free from diseases.
Coronavirus Alert
She urges people to protect the environment by disposing of waste and garbage in a correct way starting from their homes — emphasizing that ‘‘we should not solve one problem (COVID-19) by creating another one (environmental pollution)”.
She expressed the necessity to handle the medical waste properly during the COVID times especially in the developing Asian and African countries with health infrastructural challenges.
Coronavirus alert
She asked the people to keep the beaches clean to protect the humans and the marine life and also made a fervent plea to the NGOs and environmental volunteers all over the world to work with renewed vigour for the protection of the environment.
The World Environment Day has been celebrated every year since 1974; engaging governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), corporate business houses, celebrities, and common citizens to focus and renew their efforts on a pressing environmental issue.
Dr Manal informed that the World Environment Day was established by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 1972 on the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.
This resulted from discussions on the integration of human interactions and the environment. In 1974 the first World Environment Day was held with the theme ‘Only One Earth’.
From 1987 the idea was floated to rotate the center of these activities by selecting different host countries.
The elegant environmentalist, Dr Manal disclosed that the theme for World Environment Day 2020 is biodiversity, which is a concern that is both urgent and existential as per the United Nations.
Terrible bushfires in Brazil in 2019
Recent alarming events, from bushfires in Brazil, the United States and Australia to locust infestations across East Africa, Pakistan and India — and most recently, the global pandemic COVID-19 demonstrate the interdependence of humans and the environment.
The theme focuses on ‘Time for Nature’ and providing the essential infrastructure that supports life on Earth and human development together.
Recent locust invasion in Africa
Dr Manal pointed out that every year the World Environment Day is hosted by a different country, in which official celebrations take place and this year’s host is Colombia in partnership with Germany.
However, this year, millions of people will be celebrating the Day digitally due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coronavirus alert
Dr Manal has urged the people to exercise caution and not to gather in huge numbers for the celebrations.
She paid lofty tributes to the wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, who formed a Supreme Committee to tackle the COVID-19 in the Sultanate of Oman.
She asserted that this helped in getting the situation in control and saving many precious lives of the citizens and the residents.