E-waste increased by 20% ; only four centers are Processing at 19,540 MT.

Thane: The number of IT parks is increasing in Mumbai metropolitan region. Therefore, the problem of e-waste generated in all cities has become serious. At present the rate of e-waste growth is 20 percent but in the country it is 10 percent. It is handled by the informal sector and no one has control over it. There are four e-waste sorting and processing centers in Mumbai metropolitan area. At that place, 19,540 metric tons of e-waste is processed every year. There are 15 recycling centers. So far e-waste has been studied only once by the IRG system. For that, only four products were considered, MMRDA said in its 2021 development plan.

Dispose of ports and debris in warehouses

There are scrap godowns in Bhiwandi, Mumbra and Taloja areas of the metropolitan area. E-waste is being disposed of here by violating all the rules. The two major international ports, JNPT and BPT, have been found to be sending waste e-waste from other countries through containers, often through outbound routes. But, there is no mechanism to control it. Government agencies only take action if someone reports or is caught.

Risk of e-waste

- Every year a large amount of waste is generated from computers, their spare parts, laptops, mobiles, Xerox machines, TVs, tapes, speakers. It is not disposed of properly.

- Harmful materials like beryllium, cadmium, mercury and lead are used for e-goods. This content does not decompose automatically. It is a big threat to the environment.

- If these heavy metals are not disposed of properly, ground water can reach canals, streams and gullies. From that comes the big challenge of skin disease.

Raised IT Park here

- Navi Mumbai has the highest number of IT parks in the Mumbai metropolitan region, followed by Mumbai and Thane. Their numbers are negligible in other cities. The place also has a large number of call centers with back office.

- Mumbai-Navi Mumbai Many government and bank divisional offices, mobile network handling headquarters are in Navi Mumbai.