New Delhi: The government has decided to
fund establishment of e-waste treatment facility as part of
its waste management programme for 140 highly contaminated
sites in the country, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said
on Saturday.
"The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs yesterday
approved a Rs 350-crore World Bank-aided programme at two
sites in Andhra Pradesh and eight in West Bengal on pilot
basis for a period of four years," Ramesh told reporters here.
He said the objective of the project was to develop a
national programme for rehabilitation of polluted 140 sites
identified by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The need for such a programme has been felt to treat the
6.2 million tonnes of hazardous waste generated in the
country, of which roughly 3.5 million tonnes is recyclable.
"For the balance 2.7 MTA, only 1.5 MTA is treated, stored
and disposed of in 33 facilities set up in various states. To
meet the capacity gap, we need Rs 85 crore of which Rs 22
crore has been allocated for the first three years of the XIth
plan.
"We have asked the Planning Commission for additional Rs
63 crore for the remaining two years of the plan," Ramesh
added.
By 2012, India is estimated to generate over 800,000
million tonnes (mt) of e-waste every year in view of
increasing demand for laptops, refrigerators and mobile
phones.
"Human and technical capacity in all state pollution
control boards will also be built up as part of this project,"
he added.
The project is expected to yield environmental benefits
like improvement in water and air quality, improved hygienic
conditions, health benefits such as reduction in water-borne,
vector-borne diseases and economic benefits like employment
generation.
The project will also support measures for public
awareness and community education. It would also facilitate
developing a National Plan for Rehabilitation of Pollution
Sites, sustaining the process beyond the project period.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 20:31