Electronic old age

Bhubaneswar, March 15: Youngsters today can hardly imagine a life without ipods, ipads, LED screen TV sets and, of course, the ubiquitous cell phone.

But scientists and environmentalists are more concerned about the hazards of such gadgets when they go to garbage dumps.

It was nearly 10 months ago that e-waste management rules were enforced in the state, but they are yet to be effectively implemented in the city.

Though the Odisha State Pollution Control Board has served notices on more than 900 business houses in the state, including around 150 in the city, to implement the guidelines, the organisations are yet to take action.

The organisations include software firms, banks, cell phone service providers and educational institutions, which are responsible for the maximum generation of e-waste.

The board has set up three authorised collection points in the city where organisations are supposed to dump the e-waste they have generated. But lack of awareness about these centres has led to poor response.

The board has directed the organisations to come up with a report regarding their use of electronic gadgets and also handover to the collection centres the e-waste generated. But barring a handful of them, all others are yet to comply with this direction.

The board plans to set up another two collection points in the city. It is preparing guidelines for government offices on how to dispose of e-waste.

The guidelines have to be finalised by a committee before asking for the approval of the state forest and environment department.

“We will take action against the violators. At the same time, we will conduct sensitisation programmes to create awareness about e-waste,” said the board’s senior environmental scientist Dillip Kumar Behera.

According to statistics available with the pollution control board, the state generates nearly 3,000 tonnes of e-waste annually. Bhubaneswar is estimated to generate nearly 800 tonnes of e-junk a year. Any appliance that needs an electric power supply and can no longer be used is considered e-waste. E-waste such as cell phones, washing machines, air conditioners, personal computers, laptops, and television sets are considered hazardous waste as the electrical or electronic components contain toxic metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and toxic fumes.

On May 1 last year, the board had implemented the Electronic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011, set by the Union ministry of environment and forest.

With modern lifestyles and a fast-growing city, e-waste has become a major concern. “The present generation use electronic appliances so much more than previous generations that it is hard for them even to imagine a life without gadgets. We need to take a tough approach towards e-waste, otherwise it will become a major hazard for the city in future,” said a senior scientist of the board.