Although, Jharkhand is yet to see the problem of e-waste growing to uncontrollable proportions, Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) wishes to be safe than sorry on this matter. And to understand the problem better, the State’s pollution checking agency will compose a list of sources and quantity of e-waste in the State.
The Board has invited Expression of Interest from experienced organisations for ‘inventorisation of e-waste’ in all the 24 districts of the state by February 1. The agencies chosen will identify the manufacturers of electronic devices, as the primary generators of e-waste, and measure the quantity of goods they produce. The list of manufacturers is readily available, but it will take some time to know about the quantities they produce, stated JSPCB Chairman Dev Vrat Sharma.
“E-waste is not a problem yet in Jharkhand, but we intend to act before it is too late. Provisions for e-waste management have been laid down in the E-wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 and this move is in accordance to them. With this, Jharkhand has now become one of the few states to take concrete measures towards e-waste management,” stated Sharma.
Rise in the use of electronic devices has grown in recent times in the urban regions of the state, this trend being common in districts like Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad. Similar increase has been seen in the rural pockets adjoining the industrial belt in the state, informed Sharma.
He further added, “The knowledge thus gathered will be used to formulate an action plan for e-waste management across the State. The action plan will focus on storing, processing, reusing and recycling e-waste. Additionally, safe disposal of items which cannot be processed under any of these heads will also be a part of this strategy.”
Flea markets which procure obsolete technology for salvaging and reselling will also be brought in the loop so that they do not allow heavy metals and pollutants to enter the environment in the process.
“There is need for a definite establishment to make the kabadiwalas aware of the safer techniques to handle and process e-waste and its chemical and metallic components. Moreover, we will be asking the electronic goods producers to recall their outdated products for reusing them or disposing them off without contaminating the environment,” Sharma said.
As electronic goods contain heavy metals and organic pollutants, a hard and fast strategy for e-waste management will prove helpful in containing their spread through soil and water.
“Mercury, lead, chromium, cadmium and other harmful chemical components of electronic items enter our body through drinking water or agricultural produce if the devices are dumped irresponsibly, which then pose serious health hazards. Checking their spread will help in preventing the health complications associated with them,” Sharma said.