“AWARENESS PROGRAMME ON ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS OF ELECTRONIC WASTE”

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in India has initiated the project “Awareness Programme on Environmental Hazards of Electronic waste” on March 31, 2015. This project is under the ‘Digital India’ initiative of the Government of India. Not many have been aware of such an awareness programme. There is a need for such initiatives by the Government so that the people are acquainted with the dangerous consequences of electronic waste.

The primary focus of the project is to create awareness among different stakeholders in order to reduce the adverse impact on environment and health due to improper disposal of e-waste. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MietY) has played a key role in dissemination of knowledge on e-waste rules in the past. The awareness programme was conducted in many schools in India and the response received from the students has been phenomenon.

Let us all support the Government in such initiatives and the awareness that its creating as we too are a part of the society that generates electronic waste. This awareness shall help and benefit us all. 

There are various kinds of wastes in the society such as industrial waste, radioactive waste, medical waste etc. where the list could go on but among all the wastes there is one kind of waste that is rampantly getting generated due to the development in the society and that waste is known as electronic waste.

This is one of the kinds of wastes that is recent due to the drop in the electronic rates and the great progress that the electronic market has made within no time. There is a flood of electronics in the market ranging from different colors, patterns, features, rates, etc.

Even though electronics are very useful and are forming an integral part of our lives but the pace at which they get discarded before its shelf life is something that one needs to consider. At times despite the electronic device being in a working condition yet due to a better version of the same device, the existing one is discarded giving rise to unaccountable generation of electronic waste in the society.

Electronics are made up of toxic as well as hazardous substances that pose environmental risks. Electronic waste is not a biodegradable waste and can have harmful effect over the environment. The toxic materials that are released in the environment especially when they are not dismantled and recycled in the right manner can affect the environment.

Improper handling of electronic waste can also pose risks to lives as these toxic and hazardous materials are harmful to human health as well. If e-waste is not recycled in a right manner it can lead to soil, water and air pollution. The environment can be damaged and affected leading to climatic changes that we are witnessing rampantly. Thus, the issue of electronic waste is one of the major issues which requires keen attention from us all.

E-Waste contains components such as lead, beryllium, mercury, cadmium which can be hazardous and toxic resulting into various health issues.

The major source of income in the informal sector is through segregation and recycling of the e-waste which has components of copper, gold and other valuable metals as well. A number of health hazards can be a result of the maximum of hazardous and toxic components that the product may contain rather than just the minimum collection of valuable components that are segregated and recycled by the workers who engaged in the e-waste industry.

The intake of contaminated air, water and food can result in to various health issues. The central nervous system, the digestive or immunity system and the reproductive system can be affected due to such exposure. Thus, let us be mindful of the e-waste that is rampantly generated in our society.

Due to the rampant generation of electronic waste not just in India but across the globe there is a need to create awareness about the repercussions that the electronic waste has; not just on human health but also on the environment. There is a requirement for effective awareness on a state and national level to reduce the adverse impact that the electronic waste; if not discarded in the appropriate manner will have over the human life and the environment.

If we stay mindful of the repercussions that the electronic waste can have over the environment then we can make a huge difference. Each and every one of us use some or the other electronic gadget. Do think about the enormous e-waste that is dumped by people especially who prefer changing gadgets to keep themselves updated with the new versions. Where will the old version go and how much of waste will be generated globally through such rampant usage of electronics?

The term hazardous in simple words can be understood as something that is dangerous or risky in nature. We all are using electronic devices these days but many are not aware that an electronic device is made up of some hazardous materials as well. An electronic device goes through enormous processes and the final product that we have with us is a result of enormous stages that the device goes through.

From the stage of fetching raw materials to the stage of providing finished products is a time-consuming process but when we discard them its just few seconds. There are a lot of substances which can be found in the electronic waste. Silver, copper, gold etc. form part of expensive electronic devices and apart from these substances there are also other substances such as lead, beryllium, cadmium etc. that are toxic and hazardous in nature and if not recycled in an appropriate manner it could result into several disastrous effects in the society.

Thus, electronic waste can be hazardous and requires to be discarded with care and caution so that the environment and the people who come in contact with such waste are not affected due to heedless discarding of electronic waste.

In India initiatives by vigilant individuals of the society can make a major difference. It is the determination for such a cause that can bring a major change. Many a times some people are aware about the issue of electronic waste but are hesitant to speak up about such issues. It is not only the lack of awareness that has caused the increase in the generation of electronic waste but also the issue which is globally recognized as a serious issue not being taken up seriously by many of its stakeholders has also contributed towards such humongous unchecked destruction of the environment leading to various climatic changes and the worst impact over land, air, water and the entire ecosystem that we all are part of.

Today e-waste is a major issue because everything is getting digitalised and electronics are slowly forming an integral part of each and everyone of us. We cannot imagine a day without our mobile because a lot of activities can be carried out just over a smart phone making it an integral part of each and everyone of us. From luxury, electronics have become a necessity and the waste too is increasing rapidly. 

In India we have many people who are engaged in the unorganized sector. This unorganized sector generates huge employment opportunity to the needy. The electronic scrap business is one of the flourishing businesses all over the world. Since India has a huge labour force there requires a keen attention towards this sector and the various guidelines that have to be followed in-order to protect the labour force from being exploited or being affected by any diseases due to the poor working conditions or lack of safety measures. Generally, it is the vulnerable group of people who are engaged in such life risking activities, hence there is a need for the State to provide better infrastructure and facilities to such workers so that neither they nor the environment faces the consequences of a mere negligence.

There is a wave of e-waste awareness that has started igniting through the international organizations. It is yet a long way because in India the conditions of the workers is still a sad plight where even though the danger of working in the scrap segregation or recycling is high yet they lack better infrastructure and facilities that they deserve. The greasy hands and a muddy foot of the recyclers is a sad plight as someone out there is dumping their e-waste without being mindful of what’s next. At times people who are not aware of the toxins and the hazardous characteristics of the electronics; dump them in the local bins which could turn out dangerous for the waste pickers if they are not aware about the outcome of handling such dangerous elements.

There is no need for even an expert opinion about the result of such exposure of the poor and illiterate laborers. The only need of the hour is for a thought where every individual finds themselves indebted to the nature for the various resources that are at their disposal. The environment which gives us everything that we require is being indirectly affected because of our lack of gratitude towards it. Our entire existence depends on the air, water, land etc. and the entire dependency of ours on these elements is what we are negligent about at times.

Today our environment cannot respond but its response is in the form of changes it shows with each passing year. We experience the volatile and the explosive behaviour of the environment. There are various laws to prevent human activities from harming the environment but the reality of the adherence towards the environmental laws is yet another debatable issue. It is not only the humans who handle e-waste need protection but also the environment where the e-waste is dumped needs protection. Let’s make this earth a better place to live with our slight care and caution towards the one’s around us!