It has almost been nine years since the Hazardous Waste Management Rules (2003) were formulated but still electronic waste and hazardous materials are not treated scientifically in Chennai and are dumped along with solid waste.

The only little respite comes from scrap dealers and gadget vendors on Ritchie Street and in Moore Market.

The IT revolution here has created an additional burden for civic authorities. The e-waste generation in the city is on a rise due to enhanced usage of computers and latest electronic devices, but there is no scientific solution till date, opine confidential sources at the corporation.

The last study on e-waste by the IT department and city corporation revealed that Chennai generated about 14,000 tonnes of e-waste from faulty computers and hardware for the year 2009.

For the fiscal 2008-09 the waste generated through compact disc (CDs) and tapes was estimated to be around 2,800 tonnes, while mobile phones generated a solid waste of 47 tonnes during this period. But since then there had been no concrete data nor an effective system in place to recycle and dispose e waste, sources said.

“Despite formulating Hazardous Waste Management Rules in 2003, electronic and hazardous waste are not treated, but dumped along with solid waste at the two dumping yards maintained by the city corporation,” says R Govindaraj, joint general secretary, Exnora International.

The corporation earlier had plans to outsource e-waste management through private firms. “Currently vendors in the electronic market are doing the job and the corporation will look into the issue once the waste management in Chennai gets stabilised,” a senior corporation official said.

State aims at devising a role model environment policy

The state government on Thursday kickstarted a workshop to devise a state environmental policy on the lines of the national environmental policy.

State forest department secretary C.V. Shankar said chief minister J. Jayalaithaa was keen on protecting the environment and has directed the ministry to come out with a model policy for the state.

With the number of computers and electronic gadgets gaining entry into every household, handling e-waste has become a major challenge. The new policy would frame solutions for e-waste and environmental degradation.

The proposed environment policy would focus on the present and future challenges on environment owing to industrial development and the new policy would be a role model for other states.

Pointing out that the government was concerned about the growing plastic mounds, the top official said that under the CM’s special initiative programme 446 kilometres of roads have been laid using plastic materials along with tar.

Fine plastics, which were earlier affecting the ecosystem, are now collected and re-used for laying quality roads. And more such specific initiatives are the need of the hour, he added.

State environment minister Ramana said that the chief minister in her vision 2023 document has called for a massive growth over the next decade and there is a need to address the challenges that the environment would face.

The objective of the environment policy is to emphasis the link between environment degradation and poverty. The new policy would focus on conservation of critical environment resources that are responsible for the livelihood and economic growth.

The minister also gave away state environmental awards to those campaigning and spearheading eco projects and conservation. The minister also released a field book on trees in Tamil Nadu authored by forest department official M. K Sarkar.

10 tonnes e-waste daily

l Chennai generates close to 10 tonnes of electronic waste per day.
l A study in 2009 revealed that from faulty computers and hardwares, Chennai generates over 14,000 tonnes of e-waste.
l For the fiscal 2008-09 the waste generated through compact disc (CDs) and tapes is estimated to be around 2,800 tonnes, while mobile phones generate a solid waste of 47 tonnes during the period in Chennai

l The Hazardous Waste Management Rules were formulated in 2003 but still the electronic waste and hazardous material are not treated scientifically in Chennai and are dumped along with solid waste

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