Technologies are spreading rapidly around us. There are billions of mobile phones, computers, laptops, televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, photocopiers and other electronic equipment in the country. Without these we cannot go a moment. Digital technology has made our lives so easy that we cannot imagine a world without this. The world's most powerful market-economy is also occupied by various technological products.
As technology is giving us nectar, there is also poison in it, the poison of which will destroy our generation. As we consume billions of new electronic products, millions of e-products are wasted every year. And these spoiled e-products have become a headache for us as well as the whole world.
According to Bangladesh Electronics Merchandise Manufacturers Association, 320 million tons of electronics products are used in our country every year. As a result, it is easy to imagine how much e-waste is generated from all these products! A study by the non-governmental organization Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO) also reports that about 4 lakh tonnes of e-waste is generated every year in the country.
In 2023, its amount will be about 12 lakh tons. It should be remembered that the use of technology has increased 30 to 40 times in the last 10 years. It will increase at least 50 times in the next 10 years. Have we ever thought about the impact of these wastes are having on the environment?
E-waste is a worldwide concern. According to an estimate by the Global E-Waste Statistics Partnership (GESP), a global alliance working on e-waste, e-waste increases by 21 per cent every five years in the world. Alarmingly, e-waste is accumulating more in low-income and lower-middle-income countries. Our country is also gradually becoming a wasteland of e-waste.
We can see at a glance what kind of damage can be caused by e-waste. The metallic and non-metallic elements present in e-waste are copper, aluminium, gold, silver, palladium, platinum, nickel, tin, lead, iron, sulphur, phosphorus, arsenic etc.
Scientists claim that when these mix with the environment, it definitely causes serious damage. The antimony element in this e-waste can cause eye, skin, heart and lung damage. Metals like cadmium are responsible for lung cancer, kidney and liver problems, stomach problems, ulcers, allergies etc.
Another important and harmful component of e-waste is molybdenum. This can cause pain in hands, feet, knees, elbows etc. Lead is used in many electronic products. This material is most harmful to the living world and environment. If this material somehow enters the human body, it can cause severe damage to the brain and kidneys. Lead can cause specific impairments in fertility and fertility and disrupt normal brain development in children.
Unfortunately, we are yet to develop an environmentally sound and formal management of waste electronic equipment. Yet all this e-waste is placed with other household waste, in landfills or dustbins. So our policy makers have to be aware now to formulate and implement effective e-waste management policies. If Bangladesh becomes a wasteland of e-waste, then after 25 or 50 years we will have a generation plagued with various health problems. It is also a huge obstacle in building a developed country.
