National Secretary of the Nigerian Environmental Society, NES, Paul Akporowho, has called on the Delta state government to come up with a policy that would ensure proper management of  e-waste in the State.

Akporowho who spoke in Warri on Sunday noted that such policy has become necessary in order to address the indiscriminate dumping of electronic wastes in the state.

The environmentalist advised that Delta should borrow a leaf from Lagos state which has legislations and policies on ground for proper management of e-waste in the industrialised state.

He opined that the Delta state government should procure recycling and recovery equipment to convert such waste products into wealth.

“Delta should emulate Lagos State in managing its electronic waste products,” Akporowho said.

“Here in Warri, you find electronic waste products everywhere and this is very worrisome.

“If there is a policy framework on ground, it will help in managing the situation; people will not dump such products indiscriminately.

“Discarded batteries, transmitters and other items are everywhere and people pick them, remove the useful parts and throw the rest into dump sites.”

The NES scribe pointed out that e-waste should not be discarded the same way as domestic waste because they contain chemicals that could be harmful on the environment and the people.

He said: “The dump site at Orhe community on the Warri-Benin expressway is one of such sites. A lot of the waste contains harmful chemicals such as lead and mercury.

“When these chemicals contaminate the underground water, same could be consumed by human beings through boreholes.

“Overtime, it could affect the reproductive system and cause other health challenges.”

Akporowho urged the state government to encourage the oil multinationals operating in the state to also have in place an effective e-waste management policy, as they generate a lot of electronic waste materials.