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India is gradually becoming the favourite dumping ground for all sorts of hazardous electronic waste (e-waste) coming mainly from developed countries like USA, Europe and Canada due to lack of proper framework and enviromental regulations.
One of the main reason identified by environmentalists and research groups for dumping e-wastes in India was the increasing cost of waste disposal and waste recycling system in developed countries. As per available data the cost of recycling a single computer in the United States is close to $20 while it could be recycled in India for only $2. There were loopholes in administration, lack of stringent environmental regulations, weak enforcement mechanisms and cheap labour, all leading to increased flow of hazardous e-waste into the country, said Satish Sinha, associate director of Toxics Link, a Delhi-based research and advocacy group.
There was massive growth of e-wastes due to the exceptionally strong growth in the electronic equipment internationally and in India in categories like personal computers, mobile handsets and consumer goods. Total e-wastes in India was close to 3,30,000 ton per year, excluding illegal imports.
India would be generating 150,000t of waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) annually, rising to 800,000t by 2012. Mumbai and Delhi were the highest generators of e-waste, while Kolkata was also in the danger zone. A joint study by Toxics Link and Centre for Quality Management Systems of Jadavpur University estimated that around 9000t of WEEE was generated in Kolkata city, of which around 3000t was from computers and peripherals. Some countries had taken steps to curb e-waste production like a 1998 Swiss Law, or the recent EU directive on WEEE and the RoHS directive.
