NEERI report on e-waste management by April 2011
The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), appointed by the state in 2009 to study and suggest measures for management of e-waste in Mumbai, will submit its report by April 2011.
A 2007 report by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board on e-waste in Mumbai and Pune region states that as per country-level Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) assessment study, Mumbai and Pune are among the top ten cities that generate e-waste with Mumbai generating the maximum e-waste in the country. Total WEEE waste generation in Maharashtra is 20,270.6 tonnes, out of this Navi Mumbai contributes 646.48 tonnes, Greater Mumbai 11,017.06 tonnes, Pune 2584.21 tonnes and Pimpri-Chinchwad 1032.37 tonnes. Minister of state for urban development Bhaskar Jadhav told the legislative council on Wednesday that the government had appointed NEERI to conduct a study on the management of e-waste generated in Mumbai and the scientific method for disposal.
Jadhav also said that the MMRDA has established a separate cell to deal with garbage and e-waste disposal in the MMR region.
They will be submitting their report by April 2011. Intermediate reviews of the work being conducted by NEERI has been satisfactory, they are progressing along the given time line, said Jadhav. He said the government would chalk out a comprehensive plan for transportation of e-waste, methods for scientific disposal and management of the waste after NEERI submitted its report next year.
An independent report by NGO Toxic Link states that substantial part of Mumbais WEEE, imported and locally generated, is sent to recycling markets located in other parts of the country, especially Delhi. Financial institutions in Mumbai generate huge amounts of WEEE but do not have any method for its safe handling.
The Toxic Link report further states that Mumbai has a large network of scrap traders. The hotspots that handle WEEE in and around Mumbai are Kurla, Saki Naka, Kamthipura-Grant Road, Jogeshwari and Malad. Recycling in these shops and rooftops not only exposes those involved in the activity to serious health hazards but also pollutes the environment.