Pollution Control Board
CHAPTER 1
Introduction to Environmental
Pollution
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Amongst the developing countries, India is the foremost nation to take note of degradation of environment. In 1972, in the world environmental conference held at Stockholm, our government declared that it is their responsibility to control pollution in India. Even during recent global conference held at
Kyoto in Japan, India accepted the responsibility of reducing global warming and depletion of ozone layer by banning the use of chloro-fluoro carbons in cryogenic engineering within a stipulated period.
Even in the recent conference held in Rio-de-Janeiro, India declared solidarity by conforming to the standards as stipulated by United States Environmental Protection Agencies (US-EPA). Perhaps India was the foremost country in third worlds to implement rigorously pollution legislation both for air and water. We accepted the stipulated levels of the pollutants in act designated as ‘maximum permissible level’ to be implemented in successive stages in few years.
Within India, Maharashtra state was the front runner to enact Water Pollution and Control Act in
1962. This was followed by passing of Comprehensive Environmental Protection Bill for prevention of air pollution in 1983. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh were the first states in Indian union to have pollution control board with attached analytical laboratories. This was followed by the setting of series of laboratories in all remaining states of the nation. A legislation was passed. The grave tragedy of Bhopal in 1984 by accidentally releasing deadly poisonous gas such as methyl isocyanate took a toll of more than 4500 people who were innocent and helpless. With the growing civilisation and with rise in traffic, auto-exhaust emission also takes a toll of people. Therefore government enacted ‘PUC’ act to check every vehicle periodically and control, release of hazardous gases like NO-NOx
, CO, and hydrocarbons in air.
As
Introduction to Environmental
Pollution
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Amongst the developing countries, India is the foremost nation to take note of degradation of environment. In 1972, in the world environmental conference held at Stockholm, our government declared that it is their responsibility to control pollution in India. Even during recent global conference held at
Kyoto in Japan, India accepted the responsibility of reducing global warming and depletion of ozone layer by banning the use of chloro-fluoro carbons in cryogenic engineering within a stipulated period.
Even in the recent conference held in Rio-de-Janeiro, India declared solidarity by conforming to the standards as stipulated by United States Environmental Protection Agencies (US-EPA). Perhaps India was the foremost country in third worlds to implement rigorously pollution legislation both for air and water. We accepted the stipulated levels of the pollutants in act designated as ‘maximum permissible level’ to be implemented in successive stages in few years.
Within India, Maharashtra state was the front runner to enact Water Pollution and Control Act in
1962. This was followed by passing of Comprehensive Environmental Protection Bill for prevention of air pollution in 1983. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh were the first states in Indian union to have pollution control board with attached analytical laboratories. This was followed by the setting of series of laboratories in all remaining states of the nation. A legislation was passed. The grave tragedy of Bhopal in 1984 by accidentally releasing deadly poisonous gas such as methyl isocyanate took a toll of more than 4500 people who were innocent and helpless. With the growing civilisation and with rise in traffic, auto-exhaust emission also takes a toll of people. Therefore government enacted ‘PUC’ act to check every vehicle periodically and control, release of hazardous gases like NO-NOx
, CO, and hydrocarbons in air.
As