The Hindu : New Delhi News : Delhi sitting on e-waste time-bomb: Assocham

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Tuesday, Aug 19, 2008
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New Delhi

Delhi sitting on e-waste time-bomb: Assocham

Staff Reporter

Primarily coming from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka
Over 6,000 children engaged in various e-waste activities

NEW DELHI: Over 2,000 trucks ferry e-waste in a clandestine manner and dump it in Delhi’s scrap yards at various locations, particularly Turkman Gate, Shastri Park, Loni, Seelampur and Mandoli, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) said on Monday while demanding a permanent ban on e-waste dumping in and around the Capital.

The Chamber has stated that this e-waste primarily comes from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and if Delhi were to protect itself from such hazardous waste then it would have to bring an effective legislation to prevent entry of child labour into its collection, segregation and distribution.

The ASSOCHAM has also noted with concern that over 6,000 children in the age group of 10 to 15 years are engaged in various e-waste activities without adequate protection and safeguards. It said they operate from various yards and recycling workshops.

The Chamber’s estimates also reveal that the three States that send waste to Delhi generate over 25,000 tonnes of e-waste through various industrial activities. Association president Sajjan Jindal said in a discreet arrangement with transporters they dump around 50 per cent of it at different places in Delhi. Mr. Jindal added that the e-waste imported into Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore usually makes its way to Delhi as there is a ready market for glass and plastic in the National Capital Region. “In fact, waste from Mumbai constitute a bulk of the 60 to 70 tonnes discarded electronics that land in Delhi’s scrap yards everyday,” the Chamber said.

It has also estimated that Delhi alone gets 25 per cent of the e-waste generated in the developed world which comes through cheaper imports.

Considering both the e-waste produced internally and brought from outside for recycling, Delhi now handles over 15,000 metric tonnes of e-waste per year against 10,000 to 12,000 metric tonnes per year till a couple of years ago.

Such is the scale of the menace that it has now acquired the dimension of an industry that employs nearly 30,000 workers in various scrap yards and unauthorised recycling units. Besides global warming, it said, e-waste is the most threatening environmental problem in the world today. In India, the total e-waste generation is about 3.8 lakh tonnes annually. And in the world, it is more than 20 million tonnes per year.

Plant saplings

Despite faced with continuous inflow of e-waste, the Chamber said the Delhi Government had not planted and grown enough saplings in the wasted land. ASSOCHAM has suggested that the States sending e-waste to Delhi should develop their own scrap yards. Noting that the NCR has over 40,000 industrial and medical units responsible for generating the waste, the Chamber has also urged the Delhi Government to plant more around 20 lakh saplings every year.

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