According to
World Health Organization website:
The ‘Health
Topics’ section shows the keen attention of the World Health Organization
towards the children and the environment that are affected due to the usage of
electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). Since there is rise in the
consumption of electronic goods there is also enormous electronic waste that is
generated and which is equally growing enormously. 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. A number of
health hazards can be a result of hazardous and toxic components rather than
the minimum collection of valuable components that are segregated and recycled
by the vulnerable group of the society.
The intake of
contaminated air, water and food can result into various health issues. The
central nervous system, the digestive or immunity system and the reproductive
system can be affected due to such exposure. Such risky exposures of childhood
can lead to tremendous and significant hormonal changes during the growth stage
of a child. It is very essential to keep health of the workers in mind when they
are hired to collect, segregate and recycle the electronic waste. The safety of
the workers should be one’s priority.
Thus, we need
to consider this issue of electronic waste as an issue requiring serious and
immediate action from our end. It is the responsibility of each and everyone of
us who use electronics to know that one day the products would turn into scrap
and it would be recycled by someone else. The toxic components can have impact
over the health of the one’s who recycle. So, lets make the change for a better
tomorrow. This issue is not an issue restricted to India only but every country
needs to contribute in some form or the other to sustainably use the resources
that are available to us all.
India is a
party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC in
short) which was adopted in the year 1992 and it came into force in the year
1994. It aims to protect the environment and curb the climatic changes by
taking various precautionary measures. According to the official website of
UNFCCC, the climate action section of the website mentions about India and the
electronic waste which is being taken up as a serious issue by various
non-governmental organizations by helping the environment to still retain its
beauty.
The world is
advancing and at the same time we need to consider the pollution and the effect
this advancement has on the environment. Its time to sit back and think how can
we contribute towards our environment. India is diverse not just in culture,
customs or traditions but also in terms of nature. We find mountains, deserts,
forests and all forms of natural beauty within our country. It is our
responsibility to preserve it and to utilise the resources efficiently and
effectively.
The Indian
cities are helped in keeping clean because of the informal waste pickers who
contribute largely from collecting of the e-waste to its recycling. There are also
certain companies that are pro-active when it comes to handling electronic
waste. In India the consumption of electronics is increasing and especially
after the lockdown many of them had to use better versions of electronics to
get access to the best of connectivity in terms of education, career etc. It is
surely our duty to take care of the electronic waste aspect as well.
When schools,
colleges, offices and various organizations take up this issue seriously and
make the people around them aware of what happens in the society; there is a
social responsibility that every citizen adheres to in terms of electronic
waste management. If we act today then we can have a better future in terms of
health, climate, jobs etc. The coming generation can benefit through the
sustainable development that we would be stepping towards. We at times enjoy
the shade of a tree which was planted by someone else years ago. Nature has its
own way of giving us the best. We too need to give back our best to it.
According to
the International Labour Organization website:
In the
Newsroom section of the website, it shows that in a press release dated 17th
April, 2019 there was an urgent action call to manage the flood of toxic
electronic waste that was produced around the world in-order to convert it into
a valuable source of decent work. During the International Labour Organization
meeting in Geneva of the representatives of the Governments along with the
organizations of workers and employers there was an agreement by the
Governments to- “increase and promote investments in waste management
infrastructure and systems at all levels, as appropriate, to manage the rapidly
growing flows of e-waste in ways that advance decent work.”
In India as
well, we have many people who are engaged in the unorganized sector. This
unorganized sector generates huge employment opportunity to the needy. Electronic
waste can be handled well if we make the people aware on what is this
electronic waste and how should it be discarded and what’s next after it is
discarded. 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. The workers also need to be made
aware of the repercussions that they would face while handling, segregating and
recycling such waste. Thus, not just in India but internationally as well there
can be a way out to tackle e-waste in such manner that much harm is not caused
to the ecosystem.
