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1.85 Million Tonnes of E-Waste generated annually in India

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CIOL Writers
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Ewaste

A joint-study by Assocham and Frost and Sullivan says that India generates about 18.5 million metric tonnes (MT) of electronic waste every year, with Mumbai and Delhi-NCR accounting for the biggest chunk. This figure is expected to reach up to 30 lakh tonnes per year by 2018, growing at the rate of 25 percent, the report added.

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Mumbai, with 1,20,000 tonnes has topped the list in generating e-waste followed by Delhi-NCR producing 98,000 tonnes and Bengaluru producing 92,000 tonnes. Other cities to have made into the list include Chennai with 67,000 tonnes, Kolkata 55,000 tonnes, Ahmedabad 36,000 tonnes, Hyderabad 32,000 tonnes and Pune 26,000 tonnes.

Out of the total e-waste generated, only 2.5 percent gets recycled due to poor infrastructure and weak legislations and framework, the study says.And all this negligence is resulting in diminishing natural resources, irreparable damages to environment and to health of the people working in industry.

Over 95 percent of e-waste generated is managed by the unorganised sector and scrap dealers in this market who dismantle the disposed products instead of recycling it, it added.

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In India, about 5 lakhs child labourers between the age group of 10-14 are supposedly engaged in various e-waste related activities, without adequate protection and safeguards in various yards and recycling workshops, Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat noted."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 Mayapuri (west Delhi) case," he added.

The report strongly advocates legislation to prevent a child's entry into this kind of labour which includes collection, segregation and distribution.

E-waste comprises of nearly70 percent computer equipment followed by telecommunication equipment (12 percent), electrical equipment (8 percent) and medical equipment (7 percent).The government, public and private industries contribute over 70 percent of e-waste, while 15 percent comes from households, the study said.

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