LUCKNOW, Oct. 31 -- As Uttar Pradesh accelerates its digital and industrial growth, a silent environmental crisis is brewing in its belly in the form of an ever-growing mountain of electronic waste. Despite generating tonnes of discarded gadgets and electrical material daily, large parts of the state, including Lucknow, lack an operational facility for safe e-waste disposal. The state capital alone produces around 200 kg of e-waste every day, mostly from its bustling commercial hubs such as Naza Market, Naka Market, Amber Market and Hazratganj. Across UP, the volume is believed to be in tonnes daily, as the number of smartphones, computers and consumer electronics continues to surge, according to officials from the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB). However, most of the registered private e-waste treatment units in UP are located in western districts, particularly the NCR belt comprising Ghaziabad, Meerut and Muzaffarnagar. These units were originally set up to process e-waste from Delhi and NCR region. As a result, central and eastern UP - including Lucknow, Varanasi, and Gorakhpur - remain without any operational e-waste treatment or recycling plant. Even Lucknow's lone treatment facility, established near Mohanlalganj, has reportedly shut down, leaving the city's e-waste to be mixed with household garbage. This unscientific disposal means that toxic substances such as mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic often leach into the soil and groundwater, posing hazards for the environment and public health. A UPPCB official admitted that the situation was dire. "The absence of an e-waste treatment facility is a growing environmental and public health challenge. E-waste contains highly hazardous substances. Without proper segregation and recycling, it contaminates air, water and soil, and eventually enters the food chain." While the E-Waste Management Rules, 2022, were notified to streamline the collection and disposal of electronic waste, enforcement remains patchy. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had earlier flagged serious lapses in implementation, noting that many urban local bodies in the state failed to process e-waste for years despite regulations mandating its disposal within 180 days. Officials in the urban development department acknowledge the gap. "Treatment of e-waste is a big challenge, and the state government is planning to set up new facilities. But we want private players to come forward so that they could be handed over the e-waste of other districts too," said a senior official, hinting at ongoing discussions to attract private players and strengthen infrastructure. However, the economics of e-waste management pose another obstacle. A senior official from the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) pointed out that with only 200 kg of e-waste generated daily, the volume is too low to attract private investment for an independent treatment unit. "No private company wants to invest heavily for such a small quantity," the official said. "We are currently in talks with a small plant in Kanpur to handle Lucknow's e-waste, and other nearby districts are also exploring similar arrangements." Currently, e-waste is not even segregated from common household waste collected by municipal workers, further complicating efforts to manage it safely. Most discarded gadgets end up in landfills or informal recycling yards, where untrained workers dismantle them manually - often exposing themselves to toxic fumes and hazardous residues. Environmentalists have raised the alarm, urging the state government to adopt a more decentralised model of e-waste collection and processing....