Tauseef Ahmad
Delhi: Shahbaz Ahmad, 17, was standing along the small garbage heap collected by him from the last three days in the outskirts of Seelampur in India’s national capital, burning a pile of discarded electronics when a small gadget suddenly exploded beside him.
A burst sparks toxic fumes that fill the air, he narrowly escapes. After stepping back for some minutes, he returns back near the waste to shift the charred remains and collect valuable chips from the electronic waste.
For Shahbaz, these things are not new. His skin is damaged by the acid and scarps as he collects the e-waste without gloves and mask. “We collect everything from batteries, motherboards
Thousands of childrens like him in India’s national capital collect the e waste from the salempur, one of the biggest e waste garbage heaps of India. Born into this hazardous trade as a child these children spent every day dismantling devices with bare hands and by working around 6-8 hours helps them to make 3-4 dollars a day.
Race against time to collect valuable
Everyday thousands of e waste pickers motsly under age childrens with the rise of sun ray flocks to Seelampur and collect the waste to discarded laptops and smartphones which contains valuable metals.
For Junaid, 15, this work is the only source of income for hundreds of childrens like him in Seelampur. “After working 8-10 hours we managed to earn some 4 dollars, which is better instead of begging on the road.”
In the garbage lanea of Seelampur every child has their own story who not only bears the cost of global e-waste with their health but also suffers with the worst air pollution in Delhi.
He didn’t have any knowledge of e-waste but had learned this from his friends who were collecting e waste before him from the Seelampur garbage heap.
“I wake up with the sound of trucks which come early morning to unload the discarded laptops, smartphones and other scraps,” he added while continuing if he got late the earnings will be less as other childrens may collect useful metals before him.
He is one among the thousands of childrens who burn the toxic metals including mercury, lead and other in the streets of Salempur to extract valuable metals from it.
His hands have been damaged by the scratches of the metal boards and acid which he uses to wash the metal boards before selling them in local markets.
Mohd Nawaz, 33, a lifelong resident of Seelampur, runs a cramped workshop filled with the laughter of children from the backyard. Inside, Aarif, 15, sorts motherboard for refurbishing, while Saleem, 16 breaks circuits of motherboard with their hands before submerging them in nitric acid to extract gold, copper and valuable metals from it.
Around 50,000 local men, women and childrens earn their livelihood from the garbage heaps of Salempur.
Growing e-waste crisis
In 2019, the world generated a total of 53.6 million metric tons of electronic waste, but only 17.4% was properly recycled, according to the 2020 Global E-waste Monitor.
India alone contributed 3.2 million metric tons of e-waste most of which found its way in Seelampur in national capital Delhi.
The country is not just grappling with its own electronic waste but also serves as a dumping ground for discarded electronics from developed nations.
Paying price of global e-waste
A 2017 paper published in the Journal of Health and pollution estimated that around 50,000 metric tons of e-waste is imported to India every year through a complex of web of transshipment ports.
In Seelampur, streets are lined with shops specialising in different aspects of e waste recycling. “You will find in shops breaking down cell phones, another handlung computer parts,” said Anwar, a trader who has worked in the Industry for over a decade in Delhi.
“Sometimes these kids are lucky and earn 30-40 dollars a day by funding some valuable metal or batteries,” he added while continuing the components like motherboards and batteries were sold to larger recycling units because of its large price where parts less valuable like mobile boards were discarded on streets with bare hands by these kids.
We pick up the scraps and don’t want to sell them at cheap rates,” Aamir, another e-waste lucker who left his study in 2020 after his father’s death due to Covid-19 explained while standing beside a pile of discarded wire.
He also said that with no safety measure in places workers including childrens, risk exposure of toxic metals like lead and mercury raising serious health and environment threats.
According to the figures, most of the developed countries export their e-waste to developing nations. For India United Arab Emirates is the largest exporter of electrical and electronic e-waste to India, with shipmenta amounting to 39,800 metric tons in 2022. This was followed by Yemen which exported 29,500 metric tons of e-waste to India that year.
The total volume of electronic waste and scrap imported into India surpassed 240,800 tons, where most of it gets recycled without proper precautions.
In May 2022, India Environment Ministry proposed new e-waste rules aimed at shifting recycling to the formal sector. However the rules were criticised by experts who said these changes could worsen mismanagement. The first e waste law was introduced in 2011 in India which gives authority to authorised recyclers to handle discarded electronics.
Despite being the only south Asian country with such policies, enforcement remains weak. The 2020 Global E-waste monitor highlights key challenges including poor collection system, low public awareness, unclear dismantling standardz and a complex reporting process.
Aaliya, a well known doctor working in Seelampur from over a decade told The progressive that over the years things get worse. “A few years ago, I used to see 10-15 patients a day. Now that number has risen to 30-50 . Most of the cases are related to skin infections and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),” she stated.
According to Aaliya the main issue is lack of awareness among e-waste workers. “They burn wires, plastics and appliances, exposing themselves to hazardous chemicals. Childrens even of aged 10-14 are with COPD, which will affect their lifespan, it’s really worrying,” she added.
