Environmental Acts and Rules

By Shivay Negi

Air( Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981

An Act to provide for the prevention, control and abatement of air pollution, for the establishment, with a view to carrying out the aforesaid purposes, of Boards, for conferring on and assigning to such Boards powers and functions relating there to and for matters connected there with. WHEREAS decisions were taken at the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm in June, 1972, in which India participated, to take appropriate steps for the preservation of the natural resources of the earth which, among other things, include the preservation of the quality of air and control of air pollution. AND WHEREAS it is considered necessary to implement the decisions aforesaid in so far as they relate to the preservation of the quality of air and control of air pollution

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,"air pollutant" means any solid, liquid or gaseous substance2[(including noise)] present in the atmosphere in such concentration as may be or tend to be injurious to human beings or other living creatures or plants or property or environment; "air pollution" means the presence in the atmosphere of any air "approved appliances" means any equipment or gadget used for the bringing of any combustible material or for generating or consuming any fume, gas of particulate matter and approved by the State Board for the purpose of this Act; "approved fuel" means any fuel approved by the State Board for the purposes of this Act; "automobile" means any vehicle powered either by internal combustion engine or by any method of generating power to drive such vehicle by burning fuel; "Board" means the Central Board or State Board;

Air( Prevention and Control of Pollution) Rules of 1983

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 54 of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 (14 of 1981), the Central Government, in consultation with the Central Board for the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution. They shall apply to the Union Territories of Delhi, Pondicherry, Goa, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh and Chandigarh.

"Act" means the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 (14 of 1981); "appellant" means any person aggrieved by and appealing against an order made by the Board; "Appellate Authority" means an Appellate Authority constituted by the Central Government under sub-section (I) of section 31 of the Act; "Board" means the Central Board for the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution constituted under section 3 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 (6 of 1974); "Chairman" means a Chairman of the Board; "consultant" means any person appointed as such under sub-section (5) of section 14; "Form" means a form appended to these rules; "premises" means any building structure or load used for industrial or commercial purposes where pollution occurs; "State Air Laboratory", in relation to a Union Territory, means a laboratory established or specified as such by the Central Government under sub-section (1) of section 28;

The Water ( Prevention and Control of Pollution) Rules, 1975

In exercise of the power vested under Sub- Section 4 of Section 4 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Central Pollution Control Board pursuant to Section 17(2) of the said Act, has established the Board Laboratory located at Parivesh Bhawan, East Aljun Nagar, Shahdara, Delhi. The fees payable to the Board's Laboratory in respect of each report of the analysis for various Physico-chemical parameters shall be as per the rates given in Schedule annexed. The rates shall come into force from the date of issue of this notification.

The Water ( Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974

An Act to provide for the prevention and control of water pollution and the maintaining or restoring of wholesomeness of water, for the establishment, with a view to carrying out the purposes aforesaid, of Boards for the prevention and control of water pollution, for conferring on and assigning to such Boards powers and functions relating thereto and for matters connected therewith. WHEREAS it is expedient to provide for the prevention and control of water pollution and the maintaining or restoring of wholesomeness of water, for the establishment, with a view to carrying out the purposes aforesaid, of Boards for the prevention and control of water pollution and for conferring on and assigning to such Boards powers and functions relating thereto; AND WHEREAS Parliament has no power to make laws for the States with respect to any of the matters aforesaid except as provided in articles 249 and 250 of the Constitution;

The Noise Pollution ( Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000

Area Code Category of Area/Zone Limits in dB(A) Leq * (A) Industrial area 75 70 (B) Commercial area 65 55 (C) Residential area 55 45 (D) Silence Zone 50 40 Note 1. Day time shall mean from 6.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. 2. Night time shall mean from 10.00 p.m. to 6.00 a.m. 3. Silence zone is defined as an area comprising not less than 100 metres around hospitals, educational institutions and courts. The silence zones are zones which are declared as such by the competent authority. 4. Mixed categories of areas may be declared as one of the four above mentioned categories by the competent authority. A "decibel" is a unit in which noise is measured. "A", in dB(A) Leq, denotes the frequency weighting in the measurement of noise and corresponds to frequency response characteristics of the human ear.

Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 1989

These rules shall apply to hazardous wastes as specified in Schedule and shall not apply to -Waste water and exhaust gases as covered under the provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974(6 of 1974) and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981(144 of 1981) and rules made there under; Wastes arising out of the operation from ships beyond five kilometres as covered under the provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958(44 of 1958) and the rules made thereunder; Radio-active wastes as covered under the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962(33 of 1962) and rules made thereunder

The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986

An Act to provide for the protection and improvement of environment and for matters connected therewith: WHEREAS the decisions were taken at the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held at Stockholm June, 1972, in which India participated, to take appropriate steps for the protection and improvement of human environment; AND WHEREAS it is considered necessary further to implement the decisions aforesaid in so far as they relate to the protection and improvement of environment and the prevention of hazards to human beings, other living creatures, plants and property;