The Hindu 13.02.2010
City among top 10 places in e-waste generation
D.V.L Padma Priya
E-waste expected to increase to 800,000 tonnes by 2012
APPCB yet to carry out survey on e-waste generation
HYDERABAD: Hyderabad figures in the list of top 10 electronic waste- producing cities in the country. This was revealed by a survey carried out by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
An official statement from the Ministry of Environment and Forests states that the CPCB survey estimated that over 146,800 tonnes of e-waste was produced in 2005 in the country, which is expected to increase to 800,000 tonnes by 2012.
While Mumbai tops the list, the national capital, Delhi is in the second place followed by Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Surat and Nagpur.
S. John Robert, Chief Executive Officer of Earth Sense Recycle-the State’s first e-waste recycling plant, says he is not surprised by this. “Hyderabad has been in the forefront of the IT movement and so it is not surprising that it figures in the top 10,” he says.
Inputs needed
However, he feels that there is an urgent need for a proper inventory and survey of e-waste generation within the State. “As of now, all that we have is an estimate that is calculated on the population. What we need is inputs such as sales volume, manufacturing data of electronic goods,” he says adding that Andhra Pradesh is estimated to generate around 8000 tonnes of e-waste per year, half of which is generated within Hyderabad. Accepting the need for a more detailed survey on e-waste, an official at CPCB says plans are underway to do this. “The figures that we have with us as of now are from the survey we carried out in 2005. We expect the projected e-waste generation might be higher,” an official revealed.
The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) too is yet to carry out an independent survey of how much e-waste the State might actually be producing. “We used the survey that was done by the CPCB in 2005 to give permission to recyclers,” said R. Shoba, Special Secretary, Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board.
Survey in 3 cities
However, a step towards carrying out a survey in the State is being taken by PCB. “We are planning to entrust the survey on e-waste generation in three major cities of AP-Hyderabad, Vishakapatnam and Vijayawada to National Productivity Council,” she informed.
