Effort not wasted as city ragpicker bags UN award
Nitisha Kashyap
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New Delhi:
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For him it was just a means of livelihood and he had never thought that collecting ewaste from households would have its rewards. But this 35-year-old waste picker from Hazrat Nizamuddin area was pleasantly surprised to get a call to attend COP21 in Paris. Mohammad Khokhan Hamid is going to receive the UN Climate Solutions Award for keeping the environment clean.Hamid, who lives with his wife and two children, started picking waste when he was 14. He would collect it from households and then dump it in Jahangirpuri and Azadpur. Now, he collects waste from 90odd houses on Pandara Road in central Delhi.
“Three years ago, I got in touch with Chintan, an NGO collecting ewaste and recycling it. They explained that burning electronic waste was hazardous not just for people but even the environment.The toxic metals and flame retardants result in severe environmental problems,“ Hamid said.
Chintan had started a project `From Toxic to Green' under which e-waste is channelised safely . They discourage waste pickers to burn them and give incentives on recycling. The NGO works with Safai Sena, which has 12,000 members including waste pickers, doorstep waste collectors, junk dealers and other recyclers.
The organisation has trained around 2,000 waste pickers, including Hamid, on how to deal with ewaste and solid waste. “These people play a key role in mitigating ewaste related carbon emissions in Delhi,“ said Chitra Mukherjee, head of programmes at NGO Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group.
The prospect of receiving the award has given Hamid a great sense of pride in his work and himself. He was initially apprehensive about going to Paris, but his wife, Ayesha, asked him not to step back.“Language would be an issue and I may not be able to speak to my family till the time I will be there. But my wife assured me that she will handle everything here,“ he said.
Three months ago, when Chintan broke the news to him no one believed him and he had to show his passport to prove it. He has since safely kept his passport inside a suitcase. This is the first time he would be going anywhere outside Delhi. “I am yet to shop for my Paris visit. I have been told that it is going to be colder than Delhi so I have to buy warm clothes,“ he said excitedly .
“Three years ago, I got in touch with Chintan, an NGO collecting ewaste and recycling it. They explained that burning electronic waste was hazardous not just for people but even the environment.The toxic metals and flame retardants result in severe environmental problems,“ Hamid said.
Chintan had started a project `From Toxic to Green' under which e-waste is channelised safely . They discourage waste pickers to burn them and give incentives on recycling. The NGO works with Safai Sena, which has 12,000 members including waste pickers, doorstep waste collectors, junk dealers and other recyclers.
The organisation has trained around 2,000 waste pickers, including Hamid, on how to deal with ewaste and solid waste. “These people play a key role in mitigating ewaste related carbon emissions in Delhi,“ said Chitra Mukherjee, head of programmes at NGO Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group.
The prospect of receiving the award has given Hamid a great sense of pride in his work and himself. He was initially apprehensive about going to Paris, but his wife, Ayesha, asked him not to step back.“Language would be an issue and I may not be able to speak to my family till the time I will be there. But my wife assured me that she will handle everything here,“ he said.
Three months ago, when Chintan broke the news to him no one believed him and he had to show his passport to prove it. He has since safely kept his passport inside a suitcase. This is the first time he would be going anywhere outside Delhi. “I am yet to shop for my Paris visit. I have been told that it is going to be colder than Delhi so I have to buy warm clothes,“ he said excitedly .
Source: Times of India, 02-12-2015
