Hello Dear Saumik,
This is what you have to write in a milky white A4 sheet paper. And another good news for us is that there is word limit of 3500, So it will take fewer pages than we expected. But you have to collect data yourself. After collecting data, try to write those data in at least 2 pages.
That's it. You have to do only this much. Good Luck and Happy Journey. Come back soon and submit it to me by 13th October.
*If you understand each and everything that I told you then please put a comment down with "Yes, I got that". *
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Electronic waste is emerging as a serious public health
and environmental issue in India.[1] India is the
“fifth largest electronic waste producer in the world”; approximately 2 million
tons of e-waste are generated annually and an undisclosed amount of e-waste is
imported from other countries around the world.
Discarded
electronic waste.
Annually, computer
devices account for nearly 70% of e-waste, 12% comes from the telecom sector,
8% from medical equipment and 7% from electric equipment. The government,
public sector companies, and private sector companies generate nearly 75% of
electronic waste, with the contribution of individual household being only 16%.[2]
E-waste is a popular,
informal name for electronic products nearing the end of their “useful life.”
Computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, copiers, and fax machines are common
electronic products. Many of these products can be reused, refurbished, or
recycled. There is an upgradation done to this E-waste garbage list which
includes gadgets like smartphone, tablets, laptops, video game consoles,
cameras and many more. India had 1.012 billion active mobile connections
in January 2018. Every year the number is growing
exponentially.[4]
According to ASSOCHAM, an industrial body in India the, Compound Annual Growth
Rate (CAGR) of electronic waste is 30%. With changing consumer
behavior and rapid economic growth, ASSOCHAM estimates that India will generate
5.2 million tonnes of e-waste by 2020.[5][6]
While e-waste
recycling is a source of income for many people in India, it also poses
numerous health and environmental risks. More than 95% of India’s e-waste is
illegally recycled by informal waste pickers called kabadiwalas or raddiwalas.[3]
By region
Major
e-waste generating cities in India
In
India, the amount of e-waste generated differs by state. The three states that
produce the most e-waste are as follows: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Other states that produce
significant e-waste are Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab.[1]
Additionally,
e-waste is disproportionately generated in urban areas—65 Indian cities
generate more than 60% of India’s total e-waste. Mumbai is the top e-waste producer
followed by Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Kolkata.[1]
Health and
safety
Health hazards
Women
and children are particularly vulnerable to the health effects of toxic e-waste
exposure.
E-waste
contains many hazardous substances which have been found to be extremely
dangerous to human health and the environment; e-waste is often disposed of
under less than ideal safety conditions. Since most e-waste is illegally
processed by workers operating outside of formally-organized systems, these
informal workers commonly practice unregulated and often dangerous recycling
techniques that can have serious health consequences.[9] Unfortunately the
recycling labor force has a low literacy rate and very little awareness of the
hazards of e-waste which means that many of these workers are unknowingly
engaging in activities that are harmful to their health.[1] In Delhi alone, an
estimated 25,000 workers including children are involved in crude e-waste
dismantling units—annually these units dismantle 10,000–20,000 tons of e-waste
with bare hands. They lack proper personal protective equipment and are
exposed to toxins though the e-waste. The materials that are not recycled by
waste pickers are often left in landfills or burned. Both methods can lead to
toxic chemicals leaking into the air, water and soil. Workers in these
facilities often do not have adequate safety gear and exposure to e-waste can
lead to many health issues. Exposure can happen directly or indirectly through
skin contact, inhalation of fine particles and ingestion of contaminated dust.
Potential health outcomes from e-waste exposure include changes in thyroid
functions, poor neonatal outcomes, including spontaneous abortions, stillbirths
and premature births. Side effects also included changes in behaviors and
decreased lung function. There is also evidence of significant DNA damage.
Environmental impacts
The
processes used to recycle and dispose of e-waste in India have led to a number
of detrimental environmental impacts. As a result improper recycling and
disposal techniques, air, water and soil throughout much of India is now
contaminated with toxic e-waste byproducts.
Air
Air
pollution is a widespread problem in India—nine out of the ten most polluted
cities on earth are in India.[13] An important contributor
to India’s air pollution problem is widespread, improper recycling and disposal
of e-waste.
For
example, dismantling and shredding of e-waste releases dust and particulates
into the surrounding air. Low value e-waste products like plastics are often
burned—this releases fine particles into the air that can travel
hundreds-to-thousands of miles.[14] Desoldering is a
technique used to extract higher-value materials like gold and silver which can
release chemicals and damaging fumes when done improperly.[14]
In
addition to contributing to air pollution, these toxic e-waste particulates can
contaminate water and soil. When it rains, particulates in the air are
deposited back into the water and soil. Toxic e-waste air particulates easily
spread throughout the environment by contaminating water and soil which can
have damaging effects on the ecosystem.
Water
A child
walks in a trash-laden river in the Indian Himalayas.
India’s
sacred Yamuna river and Ganges river are considered to be among
the most polluted rivers in the world. It is estimated that nearly 80% of
India’s surface water is polluted.[15] Sewage, pesticide runoff
and industrial waste, including e-waste, all contribute to India’s water pollution
problem.[15]
E-waste
contaminates water in two major ways:
1.
Landfills: Dumping e-waste into landfills that are not designed
to contain e-waste can lead to contamination of surface and groundwater because
the toxic chemicals can leach from landfills into the water supply.
2.
Improper recycling: Improper recycling produces toxic byproducts
that may be disposed of using existing drainage such as city sewers and street
drains. Once these products have been introduced into the local water supply,
they can cause further pollution by entering surface water such as streams,
ponds, and rivers.
Soil
According
to research by Jamia Millia Islamia University, the average concentration of
heavy metals in topsoil near e-waste sites in India is significantly higher
than in standard agriculture soil samples
In
India, PCB compounds are most prevalent in urban areas with the highest rate of
soil-contamination found in Chennai (a city that imports e-waste), followed by
Bengaluru, Dehli and Mumbai.[20]
Disposal
techniques
Workers
dismanteling e-waste in Dehli.
The
current e-waste disposal techniques in India have operated mostly in an
informal manner due to the lack of enforcement laws and regulations. This has
created a new area of economic gain for the country, especially among the urban
and rural poor. Though it helps many make a living, those that are disposing of
e-waste are usually not aware of the risks and health hazards that result from
certain disposal techniques. There are two sectors that handle e-waste disposal
and they can be divided into Informal or Formal Sectors.
Formal sector
The
formal sector includes two facilities authorized to deconstruct electronics for
the entire country of India and are at capacity with five tons being disposed
each day. These facilities primarily receive electronic waste from the
producers of “service centers or take-back schemes” or companies that follow
the environmental policies on disposing electronic waste. These facilities,
though reaching capacity daily, are not the mainstream method of disposal. The
formal sector only follows procedure of dismantling and segregating parts. They
do not physically dispose of the electronic waste. The informal sector has made
it difficult to compete.
Informal sector
The
informal sector handles electronic waste by recycling or final disposal. Much
of electronics that reach India are out of date to more developed countries.
Then, within India, these electronics are passed around until no longer of use.
There is a whole economic market for electronic waste because the parts can be
dismantled and the scrap metals can be recycled. There are recycling techniques
that are not following any type of environmental or health standards. Some of
the methods used are acid baths, burning cables, and disposing in nature which
can be detrimental to the health of those participating in these disposal
techniques.
Regulations
The
Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is primarily
responsible for regulations regarding electronic waste. Additionally, the
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and State Pollution Control Board (SPCB)
produce implementation procedures to ensure proper management of rules set
forth by the MoEFCC.
Amendment to the E-Waste
Management Rules, 2018
This
amendment relaxes certain aspects of the strict E- Waste (Management Rules of
2016). Specifically, the amendment focusses on the e-waste collection targets
by 10% during 2017-2018, 20% during 2018-2019, 30% during 2019-2020, and so on.
This amendment also gives the Central Pollution Control Board power to randomly
select electronic equipment on the market to test for compliance of rules. The
financial cost associated with this testing shall be the responsibility of the
government, whereas previously, this responsibility was of the producer.
Thank You!! :)
Data Collected By: Shubham Gupta
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