Model Answer

Causes of Widespread Soil Degradation in India

Soil degradation in India is a pressing issue, with approximately 29.7% of land affected, as reported by the ISRO Atlas in 2021. The primary causes include:

1. Heavy Metal Pollution: Industrial activities such as mining, manufacturing, and improper waste disposal lead to soil contamination with heavy metals.
2. Climate Change and Natural Disasters: Changing weather patterns result in excessive rainfall and floods, which erode the topsoil. Other disasters like droughts and landslides also contribute to degradation.
3. Unsustainable Agricultural Practices: Practices such as excessive tillage, crop residue burning, and overuse of agrochemicals degrade soil health. These practices lead to soil acidification, nutrient depletion, and increased greenhouse gas emissions.
4. Deforestation: The removal of trees reduces soil cover, affecting its structure and nutrient availability, which in turn diminishes biological activity and water retention.
5. Urbanization: Urban development compacts the soil, removes vegetation, and alters drainage patterns, leading to increased runoff and erosion of topsoil.

Measures to Tackle Soil Pollution

In response to soil degradation, the Indian government has implemented several initiatives:

• Soil Health Card Scheme: This program provides farmers with information on soil nutrient status and recommended fertilizer dosages to maintain soil health.
• Parampragat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY): Promotes organic farming practices to reduce chemical inputs.
• PM Krishi Sinchayi Yojana: Aims to improve irrigation efficiency and soil moisture retention through education and technology.
• National Afforestation Programme (NAP) and Green India Mission (GIM): Focus on afforestation to combat soil erosion and restore degraded lands.
• Rashtriya Krishi Vigyan Yojana: Enhances soil fertility and productivity through various agricultural practices.

These measures are crucial for restoring soil health and achieving India’s goal of rehabilitating 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, which will also contribute to climate change mitigation by enhancing carbon sequestration in soils.

Model Answer

Challenges in Managing E-Waste in India

India, the third-largest e-waste generator in the world, produces 3.2 million tons of e-waste annually, and this figure is expected to quadruple by 2030. Despite this alarming growth, only 22.7% of the e-waste generated in 2019-2020 was properly collected, dismantled, and recycled. Several challenges hinder the efficient disposal of this waste:

1. Lack of a Robust E-Collection Chain
   A significant barrier to effective recycling is the lack of a dedicated and well-organized e-waste collection infrastructure. Formal recycling units handle just 15% of the total e-waste, with the rest managed by the informal sector using hazardous methods such as open-air incineration and acid leaching, leading to serious environmental and health risks.
2. Insufficient Infrastructure
   India has only 567 authorized recyclers spread across 22 states, with a total recycling capacity of 1.7 million tons—far below the amount of e-waste generated. This capacity gap contributes to improper disposal and inadequate recycling.
3. Limited Coverage of E-Waste Rules
   The E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016, initially covered only 21 types of electrical and electronic equipment. This has since been expanded to over 100 types, including photovoltaic cells, under the 2022 rules, addressing some gaps but still leaving challenges in enforcement and monitoring.
4. Limited Role of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)
   E-waste often falls outside the mandate of municipal solid waste management, leaving ULBs with limited responsibility for its collection and proper handling. The role of ULBs needs to be strengthened to ensure comprehensive e-waste management.
5. Lack of Awareness and Financial Incentives
   Many consumers are unaware of the environmental impact of improper e-waste disposal and lack financial incentives to dispose of their e-waste responsibly. Moreover, the absence of clear market information on e-waste prices deters people from selling it to certified recyclers.

Ways to Ensure Timely and Safe Recycling

To address these challenges, several measures can be taken:

1. Dedicated E-Waste Department in ULBs
   A separate department in urban local bodies can focus on managing e-waste, especially in densely populated urban areas where most of the waste is generated.
2. Market Awareness and Price Transparency
   Providing widespread information about e-waste prices can help create a market-driven approach, encouraging consumers to sell their e-waste to authorized recyclers.
3. Strengthening the Informal Sector
   State governments should offer grants and incentives to small-scale informal e-waste recycling centers to upgrade their facilities, ensuring they comply with environmental and safety standards.
4. Adopting Best Practices from Developed Countries
   Learning from European countries, India can improve its e-waste management by setting realistic and incentivizing targets under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), encouraging producers to design more sustainable and recyclable electronics.

These strategies, alongside the implementation of the E-Waste Management Rules 2022, can help India manage its growing e-waste problem efficiently and safely.