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Central guideline gap allows unscientific disposal of wasteBy Rajesh Kumar, Section Health
Electronic waste, commonly known as e-waste, is being dumped in several parts of Calcutta, posing a health hazard to residents. The pollution control board (PCB) is not only unaware of the unscientific disposal of such waste, but also lacks resources to deal with the problem.
According to reports, e-waste is regularly being disposed in Chandni Chowk, Canning market, Kidderpore and Metiabruz. PCB chairman Sudip Banerjee, however, said: "I am not aware of e-waste being dumped in the city. We follow the rules formulated by the Centre's pollution control department. There is no guideline against unscientific dumping of e-waste." According to a PCB official: "E-waste includes components of televisions, computers, floppies, compact discs and other electronic gadgets. They contain mercury, lead, chromium, cadmium and berylium, which are extremely toxic for the human body." Berylium is present in computer motherboards, cadmium in chip resistors, chromium in floppy disks, and lead and mercury in rechargeable batteries. The official added the toxicity of the elements increase manifold when they are dumped in an unscientific manner, and can cause, among other diseases, cancer and malfunction of kidney and retina.
Realising the danger, the Bangalore PCB has done a survey, which reveals that nearly 1,000 tonnes of plastic, 300 tonnes of lead, 0.23 tonnes of mercury, 43 tonnes of nickel and 350 tonnes of harmful copper compounds are dumped annually in the city by IT factories.
In Calcutta, the entire amount of e-waste generated is left for disposal by ragpickers. They, after collecting the waste, sell it to another group of people, who break down the components and sell them as scrap. "The components are often burned, releasing poisonous fumes of lead oxide, chromium oxide and other gases. Sometimes, parts of electronic equipment are dumped in drains and canals, which can cause disastrous results," said a scientific officer of PCB. "Stern measures are needed to control the sale of electronic scrap on city pavements," he added. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050322/asp/calcutta/story_4516804.asp
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