Four days back, on October 8, 2020, Bhutan saw the successful installation and demonstration of a first-of-a-kind incinerator in the country: incinerator that is capable of incinerating bio-medical and hazardous waste, efficiently and safely. The incinerator installed at Memelakha incineration facility can generate heat up-to 1,200++ degrees centigrade. During the demonstration attended by the Health Ministry officials and the regulators - NEC, the heat inside the incinerator’s chamber was cranked up to 900++ degrees centigrade. Even at that level of heat, it was seen that there was total and complete combustion of the waste fed into the incinerator. This was evidenced by the incinerator’s chimney emitting no visible smoke.
A medical waste incinerator must ensure that there is complete combustion and that there is no emission of smoke. Smoke is nothing but minute unburned particles coming together and making it visible to the naked eyes. Any smoke and it is clear that total combustion is not happening – thus unsafe for incinerating hazardous medical waste.
We understand that the UNDP is donating 3 large capacity incinerators to the Ministry of Health to incinerate the increasing generation of waste from quarantine centers, isolation centers and hospitals where COVID-19 cases are treated.
The Rotary Club of Thimphu is donating 3 units of same technology incinerators to the Ministry of Health – totaling US$ 91,000.00++.
Bhutan and the Bhutanese people are so much safer from COVID-19 virus, as a consequence of the combined efforts of the UNDP and the Rotary Club of Thimphu – in contributing towards safe and efficient disposal of COVID-19 infected waste. However, that is only one side of the story - the other side is that there is a raging debate that incineration releases pollutants that are bad for the environment.
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