Harmful effects of electronic waste in Delhi:
With economic boom in the country the middle class as well as upper middle class families stuff their homes with various electronic items. Most of these items get outdated due to the quick technological changes.
Secondly, the life of these gadgets is also very short and their repairing costs are more than getting them replaced. Hence most people pile up their homes with new appliances or gadgets.
As there is not demand for second hand items people are forced to dumb them.
Most of these electronic items contain a lot of toxic material which not only pollutes soil and water but also the air we breathe gets contaminated.
Recently a plastic scrap market in Mundra caught fire. It was a big dumping ground for electronic waste items.
Several tone’s of hazardous e-waste-discarded television sets, computers, photocopying machines and inverter batteries were burnt in the fire, posing a serious health concern for people living in the vicinity.
When e-waste burns in open air highly toxic elements are emitted and these can cause respiratory problems and skin diseases not just among the workers but also residents who live close to the scrap yard.
Toxic metals like mercury, lead and cadmium which are present in electronic items are dangerous for health.
Large scale burning of these materials can cause heavy damage to the lungs. It can precipitate respiratory problems like bronchitis and asthma.
What is needed is to create special places to dump electronic items. Harmful effects of electronic waste and people should be encouraged to use the items maximum so that they are very quickly thrown away.
Again they should be recycled so that they are not recklessly to cause health hazards to people.