Developing countries are fast becoming dumping grounds for hazardous waste generated in the developing world. As the environmental laws become more stringent in the developing world and as more and more hazardous waste is being generated, exporting this waste to poorer countries, even at a cost to the exporter is a financially attractive alternative. Much easier and cheaper than setting up environment friendly waste treatment and disposal facilities. And for the countries importing it, it is a hard to resist offer, given their high levels of poverty. Did you know that Guinea Bissau, one of the poorest 20 countries in the world was to be paid $600 million for storing and disposing of imported hazardous waste? At the time of the offer, the amount was twice the country’s foreign debt!! And about four times its Gross National Product. One can see why it is therefore easy to find disposal grounds and convert them into potential disease and death traps for the natives. The high level of corruption in these countries, and little awareness among the local population of environmental and health hazards resulting from improper industrial waste disposal, only serves to facilitate the trend.
Olurominiyi Ibitayo in his article Transboundary dumping of hazardous waste, talks about this and other factors that promote easy disposal of hazardous waste in the sub-saharan African countries.
The only way out as I see it, is for local community groups to generate more awareness and pressure the authorities into creating and implementing stringent regulations regarding disposal of hazardous waste. And also effect ban on such imports. In 2003, environmental groups in India, along with Greenpeace had succeded in sending toxic waste back to the sender, in this case Unilever. Hindustan Lever had set up a factory in 1983 in India to import all its mercury waste from the US and export products from the plant back to the US. Greenpeace and the local community groups had exposed the dumping of hazardous mercury waste at a local scrapyard. They had then started a very successful campaign to put pressure to send back the toxic waste to its country of origin.
Such efforts can happen and be successful only if the local community is sensitised to the perils of improper toxic waste disposal. As I write this, tonnes of toxic waste material (read old computers, old mobiles and other electronic parts) shipped from the first world may be getting offloaded at some port in India. Several thousand of unsuspecting workers at the scrap-yards will then break open, sort and recycle this e-waste with their hands in an open uncontrolled environment. What can’t be recycled will be burnt in the open, releasing toxic fumes in the air. Or will be dumped in open grounds, quite possibly next to a residential area! India and China are the world’s dumping grounds for electronic waste. As long as there is a lack of political will in enforcing regulations, lack of awareness amongst the scrap-yard workers & the local population and as long as it is financially attractive to the traders, this deadly business will continue to thrive.
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