 |
 |
     |
 |
 |
Nature speak | posted by Karthik P HThe issue I want to highlight today is regarding ILLEGAL DUMPING OF ELECTRONIC GOODS IN INDIA AND ITS HARMFUL EFFECTS. The past decade has witnessed an exponential growth in sales of computers and ancillary parts, thanks to the information technology revolution. However, the rate of growth in chip technology has ensured that the computers manufactured today become obsolete tomorrow. The developed countries have strict laws against dumping of used computers. It holds true for mobile phones too (we need to understand that unlike in India, Americans regularly go for newer models while throwing away the older ones). Naturally, all these goods finds it's way into India and China. The cases for such goods are made of plastics, which, as we know, is non-biodegradable. In addition to this, there are several components inside, which are made of metallic compounds, which releases toxic gases like sulphur oxides if burnt. The amount of pollution that these substances would cause is simply unimaginable. As if this was not enough, workers engaged in these scraping yards are exposed to dangerous occupational hazards. As to why, it is banned in US is now crystal clear. This issue is not that hotly discussed in world parliaments or research bodies probably because the full impact of this is yet to be felt. However, I am pretty sure that this is going to be a permanent headache for environmentalists world over by next decade, when the after-effects of the mobile phone revolution and miniaturization of computing facilities of the 1990s in economies like the US, China, Russia and India will spillover in the form of scrap computers and mobile phones. For the sake of completeness, India is already home to the most polluting ship-scraping yard at Alang in Gujarat, where old ships are dumped for their metallic parts to be scrapped and reused. The flow of cheap medicines and chemicals from Europe continues unabated. The worst is still to come. Human clinical research is increasingly getting 'outsourced' to India. We take pride in ourselves being the leader in the software sector but are we being taken for a ride in believing that cheaper imports will improve competitiveness? Let us not forget that the US has enacted anti-dumping laws against Indian-made shrimps and chilies, in the pretext that they are not hygienically manufactured. Why aren't we enacting similar laws? If there are indeed such laws, why is there a laxity in implementing them? Even better, can't we think of safer means of disposing or reusing these goods? The quest for a better world through effective technology continues... P.H.KARTHIK S6E2 Send your comments to [email protected] |