‘Mumbai accounts for 6 per cent of India’s e-waste’
Mumbai has topped the list of cities across the nation in terms of annual e-waste generated with 1.20 lakh metric tonnes to its credit, according to data released by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Frost and Sullivan ahead of “Earth Day”.
Presently, India generates around 18.5 lakh metric tonnes of e-waste annually, which is likely to reach 30 lakh metric tonnes by 2018. Mumbai accounts for six per cent of the total e-waste, as per the data.
In a paper released by ASSOCHAM, officials confirmed shocking details of how only 2.5 per cent of India’s total e-waste gets recycled due to poor infrastructure, legislation and framework, leading in turn to wastage of natural resources, irreparable damage to environment and health of people working in industry. The paper said that the unorganised sector including scrap dealers who dismantled products instead of recycling parts were major contributors to the creation of e-waste.
More worryingly, 5 lakh child labourers aged 10 to 14 years were engaged in yards and workshops without adequate safety measures. -"It is a matter of concern that most of our e-waste is handled in the most unscientific way by scrap dealers, who may be inadvertently handling radioactive material, as was brought to light in the past in a Mayapuri (west Delhi) case,-" said Mr D.S. Rawat, Secretary General, ASSOCHAM.
Mr Rawat explained that e-waste typically includes discarded computer monitors, motherboards, Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT), Printed Circuit Board (PCB), mobile phones and chargers, compact discs, headphones, white goods such as Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD)/ Plasma televisions, air conditioners, refrigerators and so on.
Dr B.K. Rao, Chairman, ASSOCHAM Health Committee, warned, “Domestic e-waste including computers, TVs, mobiles and refrigerators contains over 1,000 toxic materials, which contaminate soil and ground water. Exposure can cause headache, irritability, nausea, vomiting and eye pain. Recyclers may suffer liver, kidney and neurological disorders.”
