THIS newspaper on Saturday reported how electronic garbage has surfaced as a ‘killer’ threatening human health. The report said, the waste from the electronic goods not only poses a threat to the environment, but to living beings also. No doubt, e-waste has tuned into a serious health and environment concern worldwide due to its poisonous effects on the environment and the human body. Now the consequences of modern technology may grow into a curse due to unresponsive treatment. Mismanagement of e-filth in recent years around the world including Bangladesh is a glaring example of such electronic disasters.
Electronic waste or e-waste is the term used to describe old, end-of-life electronic appliances such as computers, laptops, TVs, DVD players, mobile phones, mp3 players, etc., which have been disposed of by their users. A study report conducted by Environment and Social Development Organisation (ESDO) said that about one crore metric tonnes of electronic waste is produced from damaged electronic goods in Bangladesh annually, i.e. 27,400 tonnes daily. Spoiled computers, laptops, mobile phone sets, tube lights, chargers, televisions, refrigerators, fax machines, electric bulbs are, among other electric things, producing such e-waste. Harmful substance such as radio active particles, lead, mercury, cadmium, bromine, retardant fame, and polyvinyl chloride are present in these waste products. Some businessmen collect their required materials from damaged electronic things and keep unnecessary portions in the soil or dump them in water, which pollutes the environment and spread diseases.
E-wastes are made up of a multitude of components, some containing toxic substances, which exert an adverse impact on human health and the environment if not handled properly. Often, these hazards arise due to the improper recycling and disposal processes used. It can have serious repercussions for those in proximity to places where e-waste is recycled or burnt. According to a study in 2013 of the Blacksmith Institute and Green Cross, Bangladesh is one of the most polluted countries facing serious dangers due to the accumulation of e-wastes. Therefore, electronic rubbish needs the most care when it is disposed, though we still don’t have any guidelines or rules and regulations in using electronic devices or have no policy of e-waste management.
The country needs an e-waste management policy to guard the citizens against hazards through technical and policy-level interventions and creating mass awareness. We need to convert this challenge into an opportunity like what China and other developed countries have done by following a prudent policy. For a digital Bangladesh, we must be ready to deal with future e-problems and we can set global credible standards concerning environmental and occupational health. The people in power also need to have the capacity to work with issues of national importance and interest, only dreaming digitally is not enough.
