E-Waste: A rising environmental concern

//

Dr. Farrukh A. Chishtie

In today's rapidly digitizing world, Pakistan is experiencing an unprecedented boom in electronic devices, from smartphones and laptops to home appliances and industrial electronics. However, with this technological advancement comes a hidden, yet increasingly critical, environmental challenge namely electronic waste or “e-waste.”

Electronic waste comprises discarded electrical or electronic devices, which often contain hazardous substances like lead, mercury, cadmium, and toxic chemicals that pose severe threats to environmental and human health. Pakistan, like many developing countries, is swiftly becoming a major dumping ground for such toxic waste due to weak regulations, inadequate recycling infrastructure, and low public awareness.

According to recent studies, Pakistan generates roughly 450,000 tons of e-waste annually, with the volume steadily rising due to rapid urbanization, growing electronic consumption, and frequent technological upgrades. Karachi and Lahore, the two largest cities, are emerging as primary hotspots for informal e-waste recycling, creating significant health and environmental hazards due to improper disposal methods such as burning and acid baths.

This escalating issue demands urgent attention, as e-waste pollution not only contaminates soil, water, and air but also directly impacts vulnerable communities involved in informal recycling practices, who suffer disproportionately from health ailments such as respiratory diseases, cancers, and neurological disorders.

Addressing the e-waste crisis in Pakistan requires a comprehensive strategy focused on regulation, infrastructure, awareness, and international cooperation. This cover story examines the scope of Pakistan’s growing e-waste problem, explores its environmental and social impacts, and proposes pathways toward sustainable management to protect both human health and the natural environment.

Understanding the scale & impact of e-waste in Pakistan

Pakistan is generating e‑waste at an alarming rate, approximately 1.79 million tonnes annually (2018–19), with an estimated 10 % year-on-year increase, and an additional 95,000 tonnes arriving via imports. Major urban centers, namely, Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, and Peshawar have become hotspots for informal e‑waste recycling, where crude practices such as open burning, acid leaching, and manual disassembly are commonplace.

A landmark 2024 study across nine Pakistani cities revealed marked contamination of air and soil: high levels of heavy metals like Zn, Pb, Mn, and Cu were found, with concentrations in soil at recycling sites far exceeding safe background levels. These pollutants pose a direct threat to environmental health.

On the human front, informal workers. often operating without protective gear and working in hazardous conditions face distressing health consequences. For example, skin rashes, burns, eye irritation, respiratory ailments, and neurological impairments are widespread. One occupational study reported 87.5–100 % of dismantling workers suffering skin rashes, with 77 % experiencing burns. Meanwhile, doctors in major cities report increased cases of asthma, lung infections, eye diseases, and cancers linked to exposure to toxic emissions from e‑waste.

Urgently needed: comprehensive national data and stronger regulation. While the 2022 National Hazardous Waste Management Policy acknowledges e‑waste issues, it falls short in providing clear guidelines or enforcement mechanisms. Public awareness is low, that is around 69 % of citizens remain unaware of e‑waste hazards allowing toxic disposal practices to persist unchecked.

E-Waste and its toxic legacy on Pakistan’s environment

Electronic waste poses severe environmental threats, which, in Pakistan, are exacerbated by informal recycling practices. The improper handling, dismantling, and disposal of e-waste have far-reaching consequences, contaminating soil, water, and air with hazardous substances that linger for decades.

Soil contamination: A silent crisis

In urban centers like Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad, e-waste recycling activities frequently involve the open burning of electronic components to extract valuable metals such as copper and gold. This crude extraction releases toxins like lead, mercury, cadmium, and brominated flame retardants into the soil. These hazardous substances infiltrate agricultural lands, contaminating food supplies and threatening food security. A recent study in Lahore found alarmingly elevated lead and cadmium levels in soil samples taken near informal recycling sites, surpassing international safe limits by 500% in some instances.

Poisoning the water supply

Heavy metals and toxic chemicals from e-waste easily leach into groundwater, rivers, and streams, creating a hazardous situation for communities dependent on these water sources. The Ravi River near Lahore and the Lyari and Malir rivers in Karachi, already burdened by industrial pollutants, show heightened concentrations of heavy metals due to e-waste dumping. This contamination poses serious health risks to nearby communities, increasing instances of chronic diseases like cancers, kidney damage, and developmental disorders in children.

Air pollution and public health

Open-air burning of e-waste also significantly deteriorates air quality, releasing dioxins and furans — potent carcinogens — into the atmosphere. Workers and residents around recycling sites routinely inhale these dangerous emissions, resulting in severe respiratory illnesses, including chronic bronchitis, asthma, and lung cancer. The particulate matter emitted also contributes to urban smog, further deteriorating air quality in major cities.

These cumulative environmental impacts from e-waste form a silent, growing ecological disaster, affecting ecosystems, wildlife, and human populations profoundly and persistently.

Long-term environmental and ecological consequences

The environmental impacts of e-waste in Pakistan extend beyond immediate pollution. Persistent toxins from discarded electronics accumulate in ecosystems, with devastating consequences for biodiversity, agriculture, and long-term ecological stability.

Threatening biodiversity and ecosystems

Toxic pollutants from e-waste degrade habitats crucial for biodiversity. For example, the contamination of river ecosystems severely affects aquatic life—heavy metals bioaccumulate in fish and wildlife, eventually reaching humans through the food chain. Studies have reported fish species in rivers near Karachi containing dangerously high levels of mercury and lead, directly linked to e-waste recycling activities upstream.

Impact on agricultural sustainability

Agriculture, a cornerstone of Pakistan’s economy and rural livelihoods, faces significant threats from e-waste contamination. Heavy metals accumulating in agricultural soil from nearby informal recycling sites enter food crops, severely impacting their safety, quality, and yield. Research indicates that staple crops like wheat, rice, and vegetables grown in contaminated soils have detectable traces of lead and cadmium, exposing populations nationwide to chronic health risks.

Persistence and global implications

E-waste contaminants such as lead, mercury, and cadmium do not degrade easily, they persist in ecosystems for decades, continuously cycling through water, soil, and organisms. As global trade of electronics grows, Pakistan’s role as an importer of e-waste makes it a critical node in a broader international environmental issue. If unchecked, these persistent pollutants can cause transboundary environmental impacts, influencing global ecological health and public safety.

Clearly, addressing the e-waste crisis in Pakistan requires urgent, coordinated action to mitigate long-lasting ecological damage and safeguard public health, biodiversity, and agricultural productivity.

Policy and regulatory challenges in managing e-Waste

Effectively addressing the rising tide of e-waste in Pakistan demands robust regulatory frameworks and enforcement mechanisms. However, despite recognition of the growing environmental hazard, significant policy gaps and implementation challenges persist.

Inadequate legal frameworks

Pakistan currently lacks comprehensive national legislation specifically designed to tackle e-waste. While existing laws such as the Environmental Protection Act of 1997 and the more recent Hazardous Waste Management Policy (2022), acknowledge electronic waste as an issue, they fall short of detailed guidelines for collection, disposal, and recycling of e-waste. Moreover, there is no specific directive or regulation clearly defining roles, responsibilities, and accountability mechanisms for relevant stakeholders.

Weak enforcement and monitoring

Weak implementation of existing environmental regulations further complicates e-waste management. Enforcement bodies, such as the Environmental Protection Agencies (EPAs), face chronic resource shortages and lack technical expertise, limiting their ability to effectively monitor or regulate informal recycling sectors. Consequently, hazardous informal recycling practices continue unchecked across major cities like Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad, exacerbating environmental and public health risks.

Lack of coordinated efforts

The absence of coordinated efforts among government bodies, private sector players, civil society, and the public results in fragmented responses to the e-waste crisis. Initiatives remain sporadic, with limited collaboration or knowledge-sharing between institutions, hindering effective implementation of even basic e-waste management practices.

International obligations and compliance

Although Pakistan is a signatory to international agreements like the Basel Convention—intended to regulate transboundary movement of hazardous waste—enforcement remains limited. Weak border control and inspection capabilities enable continued illegal importation of hazardous e-waste into the country, further aggravating the domestic crisis.

A comprehensive overhaul of Pakistan’s e-waste management policies is urgently needed. Effective solutions require clear legislation, robust enforcement, public-private collaboration, and heightened international cooperation to protect Pakistan’s environment and the health of its citizens from this escalating threat.

Community action, awareness, and occupational security as pathways forward

Addressing the e-waste challenge in Pakistan requires not only top-down regulatory changes but also community-driven efforts and awareness campaigns, anchored firmly in a holistic values-based framework like occupational security. This framework emphasizes sustainability, justice, peace, compassion, and authenticity, providing a robust foundation for comprehensive and inclusive solutions.

Empowering communities through awareness

Most citizens remain unaware of the severe health and environmental risks posed by e-waste. Nationwide awareness campaigns utilizing media, educational institutions, and community organizations, can significantly raise public understanding. Initiatives such as school-based environmental education programs, public workshops, and social media campaigns can foster behavioral change, encourage responsible disposal practices and promote recycling awareness.

Supporting community-based recycling initiatives

Local communities play a pivotal role in managing e-waste sustainably. Successful pilot projects in Karachi and Lahore, where communities have established small-scale, formalized recycling operations, demonstrate tangible environmental and economic benefits. These initiatives not only reduce toxic exposure through safer recycling practices but also create sustainable jobs for informal recyclers, enhancing economic security and community well-being.

Occupational security: A comprehensive approach

Occupational security offers a practical and ethical framework to address the e-waste crisis by ensuring safe and dignified working conditions for informal recyclers. This approach recognizes the critical importance of justice and compassion—providing training, protective gear, and better technologies to improve health outcomes for workers who traditionally face unsafe conditions.

Further, it promotes sustainability and authenticity by encouraging transparent, community-led recycling processes and the safe recovery of valuable materials. The occupational security framework advocates for inclusive and participatory governance, empowering local communities to actively participate in environmental management decisions, ensuring their needs and voices are prioritized.

Collaboration as key to success

Effective e-waste management in Pakistan hinges on meaningful collaboration between the government, private sector, non-profits, and local communities. Initiatives grounded in occupational security can harmonize these diverse efforts, leading to tangible progress in reducing e-waste impacts, safeguarding health, and creating sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable communities.

By embracing occupational security, empowering communities, and enhancing public awareness, Pakistan can pave the way toward effective, sustainable, and equitable solutions to its growing e-waste crisis.

A national call to action for sustainable e-waste management

The escalating e-waste crisis is an urgent environmental, health, and economic threat that demands immediate national action. Addressing this multifaceted challenge effectively requires the integration of the occupational security framework into governance at every level. By embedding the core values of sustainability, justice, compassion, peace, and authenticity within policy decisions and management practices, Pakistan can foster transformative change toward sustainable e-waste solutions.

Occupational security promotes governance that safeguards not only the environment but also the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable communities directly impacted by e-waste. By ensuring equitable resource distribution, fostering safe working conditions, and empowering informal recyclers, governance frameworks can transition toward more inclusive and resilient environmental management.

Adopting occupational security at the policy level requires clear, enforceable legislation with transparent guidelines for handling and recycling e-waste. Policymakers must enact comprehensive national standards, provide robust funding for enforcement, and ensure accountability measures to track progress and compliance. This approach protects informal sector workers, fosters environmental stewardship, and builds public trust through transparency and authenticity.

Governance driven by occupational security values calls for strengthened institutional capacity, greater technical expertise, and coordinated multi-sector collaboration. Public institutions, private enterprises, non-profits, academia, and community organizations must collaborate to share resources, expertise, and responsibilities, ensuring that e-waste management strategies are effective, sustainable, and inclusive.

Community voices must be at the heart of governance reforms. Occupational security emphasizes meaningful local participation in decision-making processes, ensuring the needs and insights of impacted communities shape e-waste policies and practices. Investing in community-driven recycling initiatives and public education programs empowers citizens as active stakeholders, creating resilient communities capable of responding proactively to environmental challenges.

The Path Forward

Pakistan stands at a critical juncture, facing an e-waste crisis that can no longer be ignored. By adopting occupational security as the cornerstone of governance, the nation can address e-waste sustainably, protecting the environment and public health, enhancing economic opportunities, and fostering equitable social development.

Now is the time for bold, integrated action from policymakers, community leaders, and citizens alike. Through collective commitment, grounded firmly in occupational security values, Pakistan can transform its e-waste management crisis into an opportunity for lasting environmental and social improvement.

Let us act decisively, inclusively and responsibly, ensuring a healthier, safer future for our nation and generations to come.

Understanding occupational security

What is occupational security?Occupational security is a holistic, values-based framework designed to address safety and well-being comprehensively. It emphasizes interconnectedness and interdependence between humans, non-humans, and their environments. Developed to counteract fragmented and inequitable neoliberal approaches, it aims for sustainability, justice, peace, compassion, authenticity, and accuracy in managing environmental and social challenges.

Core values:

• Sustainability: Ensuring practices support long-term ecological balance and livelihood stability.

• Justice: Promoting fairness and equity, prioritizing the protection of marginalized and vulnerable populations.

• Peace: Encouraging cooperative governance and conflict prevention through inclusive dialogue.

• Compassion: Extending empathy and ethical care to both human and non-human communities.

• Authenticity and Accuracy: Advocating for transparent communication, accountability, and integrity in decision-making processes.

  
  

Why occupational security for e-waste management? Adopting occupational security in e-waste governance ensures safer working conditions, protects vulnerable communities, and sustainably manages toxic materials. It encourages transparent recycling practices, community empowerment, and environmental stewardship, laying a robust foundation for Pakistan’s long-term ecological and social resilience.

Types of E-Waste

Electronic waste (e-waste) includes discarded electronic devices and components. Major categories are:

• Computers and IT Equipment:

  Desktop computers, laptops, tablets, monitors, keyboards, printers, scanners, and servers.

  
  

• Consumer Electronics:

• Televisions, radios, cameras, audio equipment, DVD players, gaming consoles, and speakers.

  
  

• Communication Devices:

• Mobile phones, smartphones, landline phones, fax machines, modems, and routers.

  
  

• Household Appliances:

• Refrigerators, washing machines, microwaves, air conditioners, heaters, and vacuum cleaners.

  
  

• Lighting Devices:

• Fluorescent lamps, LED bulbs, and energy-saving bulbs.

  
  

• Medical and Laboratory Equipment:

• Imaging devices, monitoring instruments, diagnostic machines, and electronic testing equipment.

  
  

• Industrial Electronics:

• Circuit boards, switches, sensors, and electronic controllers from industrial machinery.

  
  

Proper management of each type is critical to prevent environmental contamination and protect human health.