South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The government together with the East Africa Communication Organization (EACO) is discussing mechanisms of mitigating electronic waste (e-waste) at the ongoing 6th regional e-waste management workshop in Juba.
Dr. Lado Wani Kenyi, the Undersecretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology during the opening of the workshop on Monday said that e-waste poses a threat to the environment and health of citizens.
“Most electronic equipment we have in South Sudan are refurbished, which makes their life span shorter. We don’t have strong regulations to avoid this and also don’t have proper ways of getting rid of them. Burning is not a safe way of getting rid of electronic waste because of its components,” said Wani.
Joseph Africano Bartel, Undersecretary in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry said that electronic waste have hazardous impact on health and the environment.
“The electronics we have (phones, televisions) include lead, mercury, nickel and other components that have a hazardous impact on our health when exposed to the environment. As a country we are starting to develop strategies to manage this pollution,” said Africano.
“We will be addressing the issue of e-waste and we will be learning from our neighbours to apply strategies that they have used in managing this waste,” he added.
Napoleon Adok Gai, the Director General of the National Communication Authority said that the workshop will motivate other stakeholders in the country to participate, adding that the country is now in a better position to catch up with the region on managing electronic waste.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every year millions of electrical and electronic devices are discarded as products break or become obsolete and are thrown away. These discarded devices are considered e-waste and can become a threat to the environment and to human health if they are not treated, disposed of, and recycled appropriately.
