NGO alleges dumping of toxic waste in India, moves National Green Tribunal

NEW DELHI: Toxics Link, an environmental NGO, has moved the National Green Tribunal alleging rampant violation of E-waste Rules, 2011. It claims that tonnes of second-hand or used goods are being dumped in India leading to pile up of e-wastes. In its appeal Toxics Link has urged NGT to direct the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) to submit a report on the exact quantities of goods being dumped in the country under the Export Import Policy of India (2013-2014). It also wants information on how these equipment are being recycled and whether their recycling is being done in an eco-friendly manner.

The NGT bench on Monday issued notices to all respondents-the ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC), state pollution control boards, including Delhi Pollution Control Committee and DGFT.

The Toxics Link's application also quoted a 2011 Rajya Sabha report, which said that India had been a destination for industrial wastes such as "mercury, electronic and plastic wastes from the US; asbestos from Canada; defective steel and tin plates from the EU, Australia and the US, toxic waste oil from the UAE, Iran and Kuwait; zinc ash, lead waste and scrap, used batteries and waste of metals such as cadmium, chromium, cobalt, antimony, hafnium and thallium from Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK, Belgium and Norway".

It quotes a study by the head of the Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health of the Maulana Azad Medical College in Delhi about 250 people working as recyclers and dismantlers who were studied over a period of 12 months. The study has reportedly found levels of lead, mercury and chromium in the blood and urine samples to be 10 to 20 times higher than normal.

The application gives a trend of e-waste generation around the country and says in Delhi, the current generation levels are about 30,000 metric tonne.