India collected just 3% e-waste generated in 2018, 10% in 2019: CPCB report - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India collected just 3% e-waste generated in 2018, 10% in 2019: CPCB report.

In 2020, e-waste generation rose 32 per cent to 1,014,961 tonne

India collected just 10 per cent of the electronic waste (e-waste) estimated to have been generated in the country 2018-19 and 3.5 per cent of that in the generated in 2017-18, said a recent report by the Central Pollution Control Board.

India generated 708,445 tonne e-waste in 2017-18 and 771,215 tonne the following fiscal, the report estimated. In 2019-20, the figure rose 32 per cent to 1,014,961 tonne.

The figures have taken into account the 21 types of electrical and electronic equipments listed in the E-Waste Management Rules, 2016. These include discarded computer monitors, mobile phones, chargers, motherboards, headphones, television sets, among other appliances.

The report published on December 18, 2020 mentioned that the collection targets for 2017-18 and 2018-19 based on the rules were 35,422 tonnes and 1,54,242 tonnes, respectively.

The actual collection, however, was lower in both the years — 25,325 tonnes in 2017-18 and 78,281 tonnes in 2018-19.

In the guidelines, the environment ministry had made the producers responsible for collection of end-of-life electronic products as part of the Extended Producer Responsibility, in line with the global best practice.

The pollution board said 1,630 producers were extended EPR authorisation as on November 26, 2020. Also, 312 dismantlers or recyclers were authorised in the same period with a capacity of processing 782,080.2 tonne of e-waste every year.

These units processd 69,413 tonnes of e-waste in 2017-18 and 164,663 tonnes in 2018-19.

In September last year, CPCB issued show-cause notices to 186 producers for not meeting collection targets for 2018-19.

The pollution control board also pulled up 292 producers in November last year because their collection centres were either non-complying or non-traceable and threatened to cancel their EPR authorisation and take action as per e-waste rules.

The report also states that the volume of e-waste that a dismantler or recycler was handling increased over time but the shed area of these units remained the same.

The rule mandates that dismantlers have a space of 300 square metre for a capacity of 1 tonne of e-waste per day. the same for recyclers is 500 square metre.

"In one instance, CPCB noted that capacity of one dismantlers increased eight times without any increase in corresponding shed area," the report said.

The board recognised the role of state pollution control boards and pollution control committees in mitigating this gap and asked them to revise the capacity of such units following CPCB guidelines. (Source:downtoearth)

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India collected just 3% e-waste generated in 2018, 10% in 2019: CPCB report.

20 more cities added to CPCB's 'polluted' list - Pragnya IAS Academy - News analysis.

20 more cities added to CPCB's 'polluted' list.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has added 20 more cities from eight states to the list of polluted cities which do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards and, therefore, require focussed attention on multiple fronts to deal with the hazards of dirty air.

These additions, including eight from Andhra Pradesh and six from West Bengal, have expanded the list of non-attainment cities (NACs) from 102 to 122 where different agencies are expected to take air pollution abatement measures under a dedicated action plan for each of them.
The CPCB recently submitted the list of additional 20 NACs to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) while complying with the latter’s direction in a matter which was considered suo motu based on a TOI report on pan-India clean air programme.

Though the previous list contained all major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Patna and Hyderabad, the additional 20 are those which remained outside the ambit of the NACs despite being severely polluted
The Centre, under its National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) launched in January to take dedicated action in 102 cities, had set a national target of reducing key air pollutants PM10 and PM2.5 (particulate matters) by 20-30% by 2024 taking 2017 as the base year. Particulate matters are hazardous as these can get deep into lungs and some may even get into the bloodstream, causing serious health problems.
Analysis of high pollution levels in many NACs, including Delhi, Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jaipur, Mumbai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad, showed that these cities will continue to remain polluted even if the target of reducing 20-30% of PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations is achieved in the next five years.
Hearing the matter in such a backdrop, the NGT’s principal bench headed by chairman Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, on August 6 issued 15-point directions for different agencies and asked the environment ministry to modify its NCAP target.
“Having regard to adverse impact on public health and constitutional mandate that right to clean air is a fundamental right, the MoEF&CC (environment ministry) may modify the NCAP by reducing the timelines and increasing the target for reduction of air pollution,” the tribunal said.
Referring to the existing target, it said violation of such “fundamental right cannot be allowed to be continued for such a long time”.
On the expanded list of NACs, it directed states to prepare action plans for these 20 additional cities on the pattern of 102 NACs within three months and get it approved by the CPCB within two months to initiate time-bound action.
The additional 20 cities are Anantapur, Chittoor, Eluru, Kadapa, Ongole, Rajahmundry, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh; Vadodara in Gujarat; Thane in Maharashtra; Kalinga Nagar in Odisha; Trichy in Tamil Nadu; Sangareddy in Telangana; Dehradun in Uttarakhand; and Asansol, Barrackpore, Durgapur, Haldia, Howrah and Raniganj in West Bengal.
As far as 102 NACs from the original list are concerned, the CPCB has already approved action plans for 92 cities. The remaining cities whose action plans need to be revised are Mumbai, Nasik, Solapur, Bengaluru, Dhanbad, Guwahati, Nagaon, Nalbari, Sibsagar and Silchar.
As part of its 15-point directions, the NGT on August 6 asked the CPCB to design a model ‘standard operating procedure’ for source apportionment study and carrying capacity assessment within two months which may be replicated for all the 122 NACs. These studies and assessment may then be considered for various actions on the ground.
It also said the CPCB and states may have robust ‘Emergency Response System’ and preparedness by way of “mock drills” and measures to be taken in the scenario when air pollution levels become ‘severe plus’ and ‘severe’.
On issue of crop burning that contributes to air pollution during winter, the Tribunal directed that the activities like “crop burning and burning of trash wood/leaves/debris for heating in winters to be strictly regulated and violations penalized” as has been done by notifications for Eco-Sensitive Zone, Coastal Regulation Zone and Ganga Flood plains.
The central and state pollution control boards were also asked to ensure installation of requisite number of real time Online Continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations within six months and indicate progress in this regard before the next date of hearing in November.
The CPCB informed the NGT that about 1,500 more real time Online Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (OCAAQMS) are required to be installed to compile air quality data in the country.
“At present number of such stations is inadequate and consequently the correct picture/status with regard to number of NACs is not been reported and that the number could be more than what has been reported,” it said.
The NGT in its order said the CPCB may evaluate existing air quality monitoring mechanism of all States and UTs and furnish a report to it before the next date in terms of capacity of its scientific and technical personnel both in terms of number of personnel and skill/competence and outreach programmes on public awareness and suggestions for improvement.


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20 more cities added to CPCB's 'polluted' list.