E-Waste Generation and its Impact on Water Sector in Nepal

Over the last decade, the technological development has revolutionized the world. Electrical and electronic products have become ubiquitous in modern day life. The technological boom has, however, brought with it a new problem – the problem of e-waste that barely existed to cause concern two decades ago. The e-waste now represents the biggest and fastest growing manufacturing of wastes with as high as about 40 million tons a year at the global level. Generation and use of e-product and it's widespread distribution eventually leads to hazardous problem of e-waste, which has been largely taken as "out of sight out of mind" issue by doth developed and developing nations. While the developing world has consumed the largest share of more than 1 billion PC sold, the less developed countries end to bear the environmental cost, as most of them welcome their shipment for recycling. Even though, the inevitable consequence on the natural resources and subsequent impact on the health and livelihood base of poor communities are yet to be established, the problem with e-waste will continue to grow faster as the pace of development takes greater leaps as has been in last few decades.