By Nita Bhalla, Source: Reuters
India's booming economy is producing mountains of toxic electronic waste like discarded computers and televisions, but there are no laws to regulate its disposal, a local environment group said on Friday.
Toxics Link said while the Asian giant's economy has been growing at eight percent annually over the last three years, it has also resulted in the generation of 150,000 tonnes of electronic waste each year.
An eight-month study by the group found that India's bustling financial hub of Mumbai was the biggest source of electronic or e-waste, generating 19,000 tonnes every year.
"Being the hub of India's commercial activities, the banks and financial institutions in Mumbai generate huge amounts of e-waste," Ravi Agarwal, director of Toxics Link, told a news conference.
"But like the rest of India, there are no laws for its safe handling and this will lead to serious health and environmental impacts."
Agarwal said the government had to regulate the management of e-waste by setting up a central authority to collect all discarded electronic goods and put in place laws to deal with disposal and recycling.
India's economic liberalisation that began in the early 1990s has seen hundreds of banks, financial institutions, electronics industries, information technology firms and call centres setting up operations across the country.
The booming economy has also led to a growing middle class -- estimated around 300 million -- which has more disposable income and an insatiable appetite for electronic products.
"When electronics like televisions, PCs and refrigerators are discarded, it is the informal sector made up of tens of thousands of people who collect it and then break it down and recycle parts of it which can be sold," said Agarwal.
"They extract toxic-heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium and chromium which are sold for other uses."
These metals harm the development of the brain, kidneys and some are carcinogens which enter the food chain through the air, water and soil.
Friday, February 23
Colours of Nature
Colours of Nature
MANISHA GUTMAN, Source: The Hindu
| Holi marks the end of winter and the coming of spring. |
Many colours are made up of chemical colorant with a base of asbestos or silica, and these are harmful to the skin.
WELCOME SPRING: Joy of hope.
Holi is around the corner! So many of us love playing this colourful festival and look forward to it with excitement! But, did you know that some of the colours we buy in the market are not meant for use?
Holi began as a celebration of the end of winter and the coming of spring. This was also the time when crops like wheat and barley were harvested and the festival was a way of thanking nature. There are several legends about the festival. The bonfire on the night of Holi is symbolic of the victory of good over evil.
The colours of Holi were, originally, the colours of trees that flower in spring. These colours were made from flowers, roots and herbs and had therapeutic and medicinal value. Some of the common plants that were used include henna, hibiscus, and marigold. In addition there are roots such as beetroot and tubers like turmeric that also give bright colours.
Highly toxic
But today, toxic chemical substances, many of which are meant for industrial use only, have replaced the beautiful colours of nature. The commercial colours include pastes, dry powders and watercolours and they are mostly made up of a chemical colorant with a base such as asbestos or silica. The colorants contain heavy metals like mercury, lead and chromium, which can cause damage when they enter the body causing rashes, allergies and breathing difficulties. Some industrial dyes take a long time to come off the skin and slowly enter the body through the skin!
You can understand more about natural colours by exploring the work of the following groups on their websites: Navdanya, Delhi; CleanIndia, Delhi; Kalpavriksh Environment Action Group, Pune. To read more about the health impacts of industrial colours visit the website of Toxics Link, Delhi.This year play a safe and natural Holi.
Make your own colours
Yellow: Mix turmeric powder with besan for a lovely yellow.
Red : Did you know that if you add a few drops of lemon juice to turmeric powder it turns bright red?
Magenta: Slice or grate a beetroot. Soak in one litre of water for a wonderful magenta.
Orange : Boil the peels of 10 - 15 onions in half litre of water for an orangish-pink colour. Remove the peels before use, to remove the smell of the onions.
Green : Mix a fine paste of leaves like spinach, mustard, coriander or mint in water. Use mehendi / henna powder, separately or mix with equal quantity of any flour for a lovely green shade.
If you don't have the time for this then make sure you buy only natural colours. Locate a shop you that can supply you with genuine natural colours. How will you know that they are genuine? First, verify that the packet of colour does not say "For Industrial use only!"
The terms — herbal, natural, non-toxic and organic — indicate that the colours are probably sensitive on the skin.
Check the ingredients of the colours on the packets.
India's commercial and financial capital is generating 19,000 tonnes of e-waste annually: Study
In a grim reminder of the increasing environmental and health hazards in India's urban centres, a new study by Toxics Link, an environmental group, has revealed that Mumbai is not just the leading generator of electronic waste in the country, but also that the rate at which the commercial capital is throwing away electronic goods is far higher than believed so far.
The pioneering study shows that besides a total generation of electronic waste to the tune of 19,000 tonnes annually - inclusive of computers, televisions, refrigerator and washing machines - the city receives a good amount of it through clandestine imports from the developed world. The report, thus hints that even this shocking figure is at best modest.
The study indicates that the National Capital and its adjoining areas are receiving a substantial part of Mumbai's electronic discards, both internal as well as imported, particularly computer printed circuit boards (PCBs) that are too dangerous to be handled in congested areas of Mumbai. Delhi has been tipped as the largest e-waste recycler in the country. In an earlier study by Toxics Link, it was revealed that the slack enforcement of laws banning hazardous waste processing in residential areas of Delhi was cited as the added 'attraction' for recyclers. Further, Delhi and some of its satellite urban areas seem to have acquired specialisation in dealing with this environmentally hazards activity.
Releasing the report, titled Mumbai: Choking on E-Waste, here today, Ravi Agwarwal, Director, Toxics link, said, "This study is a part of our ongoing efforts to create a body of research that, we hope, will help to fill the void of information on the issue and, eventually, facilitate a strong legislative action in the country."
He added, "Since the release of 'Scrapping the High-tech Myth: Computer Waste in India', in 2003, we have seen the menace of e-waste grow consistently. On the good side, with it have grown the calls for action, both internationally and nationally. Carrying out these assessments guides our campaign for installing proper and adequate e-waste management systems in India."
Also, we hope to prevent the import of e waste, which is growing in India. The waste comes in both misclassified as 'metal scrap' as well as end of life products as 'second hand goods'. Currently, customs are not able to screen or monitor the import of hazardous waste, and this needs to be stopped.
India generates about 150,000 tons of WEEE annually and almost all of it finds its way into the informal sector, as there is no organised alternative available at present. The trend is likely to increase manifold in proportion to the growth in the consumption of electronic products," the report asserts.
Key findings:
- Mumbai generates roughly 19,000 tonnes of WEEE annually, which is substantially higher than the existing approximation. This figure includes not just computers, but also televisions, refrigerators and washing machines. The actual WEEE quantity is expected to be much higher, as several other electronic products, which have not been used in the study, are being dumped into the city's waste stream, and also because there are no figures available on imports from developed nations.
- A substantial part of Mumbai's WEEE, both imported and locally generated, is sent to recycling markets located in other parts of the country. The National Capital Region of Delhi is a preferred recycling destination for printed circuit boards (PCBs) originating from the city.
- Being the hub of India's commercial and financial activities, the banks and financial institutions in Mumbai generate huge amounts of WEEE, but they do not have any method for its safe handling contributing to disastrous health and environmental impacts of WEEE. The issue of security of data on discarded computers is adequately addressed when such waste is auctioned to waste dealers as scrap.
- 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 surrounding environment. The rate of WEEE generation and the current methods of disposal in Mumbai pose grave environmental and health risks to the city at large due to its dense population and spatial character.
- The current handling practices suffer from use of crude methods for dismantling and storage, minimal capital input and zero health and environmental safeguards.
- Lack of a legislative framework to address the issue of WEEE management by taking on-board all stakeholders is hampering solution implementation.
- Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) approach, which broadly implies that producers be made responsible for their product even after the consumer has bought and used it, is emerging as popular alternative for e-waste management in various countries of the world. India needs to take steps in this direction.
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