India’s e-waste output jumps 8 times in 7 yrs

India To Have 8L Tonnes Of E-Waste By End Of 2012

Viju B TNN 

Thiruvananthapuram: India’s output of e-waste has jumped by eight times in the past seven years and the open yet illegal incineration of massive quantities of such trash may lead to serious public health hazards, a government report says. 
    According to the latest annual report of the Union ministry of environment and forest (MoEF), by the end of 2012, India would have generated a whopping eight lakh tonnes of e-waste—up eight times in the past seven years. Environmentalists point out that an additional 50,000 tonnes is imported from developed countries despite a ban. 
    “The burning of metals can give rise to dioxins and furans during incineration. Arsenic and asbestos may act as a catalyst to increase the formation of dioxins, which is carcinogenic in nature,” the report says. E-waste includes household electronic appliances, toys, electrical and electronic tools, medical devices, mobile phones, monitoring and control instruments, automatic dispensers, IT and telecom equipment and consumer electronic items. 
    Mumbai tops the list of 10 most e-waste generating cities, followed by Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Surat and Nagpur. A state-wise break up shows that of the total e-waste generated in the country, 70% comes from 10 states — Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, AP, UP, Gujarat, West Bengal, Delhi, Karnataka, MP and Punjab. 
    “E-waste contains minerals that are both toxic and valuable to the industry. Heavy metals like lead, cadmium, mercury, brominated flame retardant, arsenic and nickel are harmful to the environment and pose grave health hazards,” the MoEF report said. 
    Last year, the ministry notified the E-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011, making producers “responsible for environmentally sound management of the end-of-life products, including collection and recycling of the products”. 
    “Currently, 47 e-waste recycling facilities have been granted registration by different state pollution control boards. The total e-waste handled by these registered recyclers is around 2.19 lakh tonnes, which is just 27% of the total e-waste generated,” official said.