On top of Mount E-trash ……..Chittaranjan Tembhekar
City, State Remain No. 1 Generators Of Electronic, Electrical Scrap
City, State Remain No. 1 Generators Of Electronic, Electrical Scrap
Mumbai continues to top the list of Indian cities generating the most hazardous ewaste (scrap of electronic, electric and other technical devices), beating Delhi and tech-hubs like Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad by a wide margin. Similarly, among states, Maharashtra is the number one e-waste generator, ahead of states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Unfortunately, the state agencies response in tackling e-waste does not match its growing volume with a majority of civic bodies in Mumbai region virtually openly dumping the dangerous e-waste.
The data of e-waste generation and disposal methods for 2009 collected by IRG Systems Management Pvt Ltd on behalf of the state reveals that Mumbai city alone generates 11017.1 tonnes of e-waste per annum (tpa), followed by Delhi (9730.3 tpa), Bangalore (4648.4 tpa), Chennai (4132.2 tpa), Kolkata (4025.3 tpa), Hyderabad (2833.5 tpa) and Pune (2584.2 tpa).
While TN, AP, UP and WB generates around 13,500 tpa, 12,800 tpa, 10,400 tpa, and 10,100 tpa, Maharashtras share is nearly 20,300 tpa.
The waste contains highly toxic substances like lead, cadmium, mercury and other heavy metals which is bound to have a catastrophic impact on the flora and fauna and eventually on the citizens, says M R Shah, an expert on solid waste management (SWM) and principal advisor to MMRDA on SWM.
According to Shah, the city has been topping the charts following the surveys carried out in 2004 and 2007.
The e-waste in the Mumbai metropolitan region will grow further as the quantum of the total solid waste itself is likely to touch 24,173 metric tonnes per day (mtpd) in 2034 and 50,613 metric tones per day by 2060, Shah said.
What is e-waste?
– It can be referred to all end-oflife or disposed electrical and electronic products, components and peripherals including computers, cellphones, fax machines radios and televisions
Why it is hazardous
– It contains over 1,000 different substances, many of which are toxic and create serious pollution on disposal
Areas under scanner in Mumbai
– Andheri: Saki Naka, Safed Pool, Wire Lane
– Mahim: Dharavi, Shastri Nagar
– Grant Road: Sonarpur
– Kamathipura: Don Taki
– Kurla: Kutubmandal, Masrani Lane, near Kalpana Theatre
– Lamington Road: Lamington Road, Proctor Road, Tara Temple Lane, S V Road, Chor Bazaar Mankhurd
The Dangers
– Lead: Monitor cathode ray tubes (CRTs), LCDs, solders, printed circuit boards, lead-acid batteries. Compounds are found in stabilisers, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cables and other products
– Cadmium: Metal is in some switches and solder joints, while compounds are in rechargeable batteries, UV stabilisers, older PVC cables and older CRTs
– Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs): Widely used in insulating fluids for electrical transformers and capacitors
– Mercury: In LCD lights, thermostats, sensors, relays, switches, medical equipment, lamps, mobile phones and batteries. Use of mercury may increase as flat panel displays replace CRTs