33 Tons Of Medical Hazardous Waste Has Been Heaped Since 2007 In Natuna Hospital, Is This What The Health Office Says About Hazard Or Not?

The pile of medical B3 waste from 2007 is stored in the Natuna District Hospital. (Between)

RIAU - The pile of medical B3 waste from 2007 is known to be stored in the Temporary Storage of Toxic Hazardous Waste (TPS-LB3) at the Natuna District Hospital. The Natuna Regency Health Office (Dinkes) ensured that 33 tons of waste was not dangerous.

"The amount of waste is around 33 tons, it's from 2007, we are not worried because the storage is safe, it has been in the form of ashes after being burned and stored in plastic drums and it does not propagate, it has met the requirements," said Head of the Natuna Health Office, Riau Islands, Hikmat Aliansyah, in Natuna, Wednesday 10 August.

He said that currently the waste has been temporarily stored in the warehouse of the Natuna Hospital since 2007 before being sent to Batam.

"While there is no budget for the delivery this year, I don't know if it will be budgeted in this year's APBDP or not," Hikmat said, according to Antara.

He explained that since 2019 the local government has budgeted through the Natuna Regency APBD regarding the cost of sending the waste to Batam, but still experiencing licensing problems.

"At that time, there were conditions for sending goods out of the region which had not been fulfilled. In addition, in 2020, the COVID-19 activity was hampered," said Hikmat.

Currently, Hikmat continued, the Natuna Regency Environmental Service (DLH) has issued a permit to send the waste, but it is constrained by the availability of the budget.

"It can be sent, but related to transportation it can't be arbitrary, there must be a third party, the problem is that we don't have a budget for that, we are still waiting for the budget," said Hikmat.

Meanwhile, regarding the waste burning permit, Hikmat continued, "actually it still doesn't meet the standard because the Incinerator chimney should be higher than the surrounding building, the solution must be moved, because currently the chimney is below, lower than the hospital building," he said.

He also said that the local government had planned to build a new warehouse in a different place "that's why we proposed to the regent for land acquisition behind the hospital because the existing land does not belong to us, there has been no land acquisition by the local government." He said.

Meanwhile, related to B3 waste located outside Bunguran Island (Natuna Besar) such as Serasan District, East Serasan, Subi, Laut Island, Tiga Island and Sedanau District, it is destroyed by stockpiling.

"That also cannot be done because there is no certainty about the budget for the hoarding activity. If the Puskesmas is in accordance with the regulations of the Minister of the Environment, it can be done by hoarding, and in Natuna, the actual stockpiling can be done this year because it has been budgeted, it's just that we don't dare to do it yet, afraid there is no money to pay," he said.

But again he emphasized that the presence of the waste did not endanger the local residents because it was in a closed place.