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Mumbai spews e-waste; faces grave health risk

The city faces grave health and environmental risks posed by a whopping 19,000 tonnes of electronic waste produced here apart from a good amount of the same being imported clandestinely, a new report has revealed.

Mumbai: The city faces grave health and environmental risks posed by a whopping 19,000 tonnes of
electronic waste produced here apart from a good amount of the same being imported clandestinely, a new report has revealed. What is more alarming is that the rate at which the city is discarding e-waste -- old computers, television, refrigerators and washing machines -- is far higher than what was believed so far, the study has shown. The report hints that even this shocking figure is at best modest, Satish Sinha, chief programme coordinator of NGO Toxic Link, said here while releasing the report "Mumbai: Choking on e-waste". The research team demanded swift action through stronger legislative curbs over import of e-waste and initiation of a multi-stakeholder deliberation to frame a hazard-free e-waste management system in the country. "India generates about 1.5 lakh tonnes of e-waste 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 growth in electronic goods consumption," the report says. Sinha said cheap labour and crude but dangerous recycling methods, minimum capital input, along with an absence of any regulation of its import, have made India a favoured destination for dumping of e-waste by the developed world. A substantial part of Mumbai's e-waste, both imported and locally generated, is sent to recycling markets located across the country. The national capital region is a preferred destination for printed circuit boards originating here. Being the hub of India's commercial and financial activities, banks and financial institutions here generate huge amounts of e-waste, but do not have any methods to mitigate their disastrous health and environmental impact. The city has a large network of scrap traders, with hot-spots in Kurla, Saki Naka, Kamthipura-Grant Road, Jogeshwari and Malad.

Bureau Report