News in The times of India that a hospital in Kanpur is presently suffering the consequences of a broken incinerator. Though it is officially disputed, clinical wastes are being burned with fumes creating a nuisance for staff and patients alike.

Kanpur is tenth-most populous city in India and the largest within the state of Uttar Pradesh so this is hardly a small and remote operation and highlights the importance of a comprehensive regional or national infrastructure that can provide additional disposal capacity when something goes wrong.

The clinical waste was burned in an ‘improper manner’ at Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital on Friday afternoon and ‘led to suffocation’ of patients and staff in many wards. Several patients admitted at emergency and OPD complained of breathlessness after inhaling the gases emanating from the burning waste.