as the world races on towards once in 2 years laptop's, once in 3 years desktop, every year new ipod's, perhaps once in 2 years iphone's, countless blueberry phones - one thing will be much more clear.

more and more dangerous e-waste will be shipped to people intensive countries like india and the poor policy enforcement will make sure that these e-waste will be toxic for those poor people who work on it without safeguards and also for india's environment.

import of these discarded electronics calls for highest level of environmental and labor safeguards. india - with its fake development policies - seems to be making sure that these electronic waste comes in an illegal manner in name of 'reuse'.

as per greenpeace india a whopping 628 tonnes of e-waste has come into india. from greenpeace india website you can read the shocking para:
According to import records procured by Greenpeace pertaining to shipments entering through the Chennai port, even old cables, mouse pads, printed circuit boards, printers, batteries, keyboards, RAM chips and hard disks are being imported, aside from old monitors and processors. The total amount of E-waste imported through Chennai port between January and June 2007 was approximately 628 tonnes.

it is sad and disappointing to see RAM cards and PCB's also being dumped using this 'reuse' loophole by the commerce ministry.

india should immediately clamp down on this and cleanup their policy and enforcement. already india's environment is dying a slow death. we need not add 'modern electronics' death also.
(greenpeace activists in demonstration outside the commerce ministry. if india's policy makers really work then we need not need greenpeace to point out every flaw and misplaced policies. but with the way MoEF is sleeping, greenpeace india will have to 100 year plan for their actions. picture courtesy hindu businessline.)