SWAPNILRAWAL MUMBAI, MARCH 1 The task of ascertaining the amount of electronic waste (e-waste) generated in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region has been given to International Resources Group (IRG) System South Asia Pvt Ltd. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has appointed IRG to carry out a detailed study of e-waste generation, including places where its concentration is higher, in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The region is spread over 4,355 square km, which includes 20 urban regions, four districts and over 1,000 villages. According to MMRDA officials, though it is known that Mumbai generates the highest amount of e-waste in the country, the government wants figures of e-waste generation in adjacent areas, too. "It will be a detailed study to establish areas generating e-waste. Even within a city, there will be areas where it is more and other areas where it will be less. The report will look into all details," said M R Shah, Principal Advisor, Solid Waste Management Cell, MMRDA. Shah, the former head of the Solid Waste Management department of the Bri-hanmumbai Municipal Corporation, added that the study would also give a possible location of the proposed e-waste processing unit. The MMRDA and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB)have decided to look into the increasing hazards of e-waste handling and is in the process of setting up the e-waste processing plant, to be run on public-private partnership. The plant will have a comprehensive process to collect, transport and recover precious metals from e-waste. "It will have collection points, transportation and storage facilities and safeguards to prevent environmental degradation. The role of the unit's operator will also be defined," Shah said. Being the financial nerve-centre of India, Mumbai is home to a large user and manufacturer base of electronic goods. The generation of e-waste has grown manifold owing to the info-tech parks in Mumbai.