By Shruti Badyal New Delhi:Delhi is a place where e-waste is accumulated and recycled in illegal colonies," says Nutan Manmohan, award-winning filmmaker, whose film A Second Hand Life was recently screened in the capital. While Delhi is promptly becoming the world capital in recycled products, the perturbing fact is that this is taking place without any regulations. With a population of nearly 14 million, Delhi is home to many people who are suffering from serious diseases due to recycling of illegal e-waste that seeps in the city in closed brackets called "second hand" electronic products. Showcasing the ground realities in areas of Seelampur, Kashmere Gate and around Jama Masjid, Nutan unveiled the story of this illegal trade of electronic waste, which is dumped in our country by developed nations in the name of "hand-me-down" products. The global electronic waste is trickling poison in the city. "Almost 3,30,000 metric tonnes of e-waste is generated annually in India, while an additional 50,000 MT is illegally imported. Out of which, 19,000 MT is recycled due to high refurbishing and reuse of electronic products in the country and also due to poor recycling infrastructure. This recycling process is done in the unorganised sector which does not have the right infrastructure and capital to convert this waste into a usable form, hygienically," says Vinnie Mehta, executive director, Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology (MAIT). At the end of a dirt alley in the slum neighbourhood of Seelampur, when a doctor presses his stethoscope to the chest of labourer, he finds problems he hasn't seen before. And the number of such patients is rapidly increasing because of the toxins released by burning wires which allegedly come due to the computer waste flowing from developed nations into India's poorest urban settings. In these areas, these wastes are picked up by various labourers, many of which are kids who clean them for reuse and dump leftover poisonous residues in surrounding areas, thus contributing to health hazards. "E-waste is not hazardous. When the parts containing chemicals are burned in an unorganised way, the fumes of these gases become life threatening," says Vinnie. "Many of the materials used in computers contain lead. Lead is a heavy metal which can cause serious health hazards. It is poisonous and has various neurological side-effects. The inhalation of the toxins can reach the babies of pregnant women through their blood," says Shivani Sachdev Gour, fertility specialist and gynaecologist with Fortis La-Femme hospital. Nutan revealed that the capital gets much of its electronic waste from allegedly coastal areas of Chennai, from where, this waste is conveniently sneaked into the country. She explains, "These products enter the country through misleading labels that identify the cargo as second-hand computers for resale. I was shocked to see layers of dumped computers behind some working computers at a port in Chennai. One can't stop this trade, but there can surely be laws to use this trash in the right way." Nutan claims that most of the big names that manufacture electronic products do not have any recycling plans for these products. However, consumers must also be aware of the product they purchase. Says Ravi Aggarwal, director, NGO Toxic Link, an organisation working for environmental justice and freedom from toxics, "Customers hold the key to change in today's world. They must know the fate of the product that they are buying. Each of us must know how our mobiles and computers are recycled. This will create an awareness among the IT industry and they will organise better set ups for recycling their products." He revealed that while some firms like Wipro and HCL have started making a move towards recycling electronic products, the other big names of the electronic goods market are only "pondering" over the serious issue. He expresses, "It's unfair to say that prominent industries manufacturing electronic products aren't concerned about the issue, but the fact remains that nothing is being done to stop this." While our foreign policy puts a ban on the import of e-waste from other countries, it's shocking to see how this waste is conveniently dumped in our country, exploiting a loophole that permits the import of second-hand computers for reuse and charitable donations. Vikas Vig, who is a member of the Greenpeace Foundation feels that we need stringent laws to curb the various hazards recycling of e-waste brings with it. According to him, consumers of these products are also responsible. He says, "If the recyclers are registered in a legal way, there won't be any problems related to recycling of products. The government must come out with simple laws. Also, the consumers are at fault. We never question the recycling of a product. It's a topic which needs to be addressed by all sections of society." Agrees Ravi. He adds, "The consumer in India has to wake up to the call. They must not buy products from companies which do not have the right system to recycle their own stuff." A study done by MAIT, in December 2007 reveals that e-waste is expected to touch 4.7 lakh tonnes by 2011, which is an alarming figure. However, the dealers of these products know little about where these products go after being used. Ajit Kumar, who is a software engineer, also sells second-hand computers. Interestingly, he knows nothing about where these systems come from and where they are dumped after use. He says, "I know that I get them from my dealer. I never enquired from where he gets them. These are systems that have already been used by developed nations, but are in a good condition." When asked if he knows how they are recycled in India, a puzzled "no" was his reply.