ASSIGNMENT ON:

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION CONTROL ENGINEERING

BY
MD SAMIUL ISLAM
A91015818008
B. TECH (CE)
ESCM402 
7TH SEMESTER

1.) Write a short note on:

A. Water Pollution Laws and Regulations.

B. Air Pollution Control Act of India

C. Land Pollution Laws and Regulations

D. The Environment Protection Act, 1986

A.) Water Pollution Laws and Regulations.
India does not have one centralized law on water conservation, supply or
control of pollution, but rather a collection of policies at both Centre and
State levels. The main focus of the Water Prevention and Control of
Pollution Act, 1974 are: -

 to prevent and control water pollution; and

 to maintain or restore the wholesomeness of water.

An important provision of the Water Act is the duty it imposes on all

persons, including industries and body corporates, to refrain from
allowing any poisonous or noxious matter into any stream, water or on
land. It also requires all persons to refrain from knowingly entering or
obstructing any stream that would impede the flow of water or cause
water pollution. Any person who violates these provisions will be
punished with imprisonment between 18 months and 6 years.

Some other Acts and policies

 The Shore Nuisance Bombay and Kolaba Act

 Orissa River Pollution Act, 1953

 The Water Prevention and Control of Pollution Cess Act, 2003.

 The Indian Penal Code and Pollution

 The River Boards Act, 1956

 Damodar Valley Corporation Prevention of Water Pollution Act,

1948.

B.) Air Pollution Control Act of India

 India passed the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act,
1981- the first central legislation forty years ago to tackle the air
pollution problem in India.
 The act document has been divided into 9 chapters which are
further subdivided.
 It declares itself as “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
thereto and for matters connected therewith”.
 This Act has played a major role in developing a framework for
control of air pollution.
 It lays down a mechanism to monitor pollutants, set standards
for emitters, devise plans for clean air and creates an
enforcement mechanism through the PCBs. 
 Under the act, State Governments held authority to declare any
area or areas within the state as an ‘air pollution control area’
for the monitoring and control. However, by the mid-to-late
1980’s, State Governments began to notify entire areas of the
State as an air pollution control area.
 Polluting industries would need consent from the concerned
department (SPCB) before running its work. These consents are
open to public and are renewed time to time.
 The failure to comply with the Central Pollution Control Board
directives would result in imprisonment of 1 year. It can be
extended to 6 years with a fine with the additional fine of 5000Rs
per day added provided the directives are still not met.
 Key features of the Act include:

1. Advising Central Government of Air and Air Pollution

related issues
2. Research about the causes and impact of Air Pollution
3. Spread awareness to stop air pollution
4. To establish central and State Boards and empower them
to monitor air quality and control pollution

 Section 2(a) of the act defines an ‘air pollutants’ as any solid liquid
or gaseous substance which may cause harm or damage the
environment, humans, plants, animals or even damage property. A
1987 amendment to the act also added ‘noise’ in the list of harmful
substances.
  Various bodies for the implementation had been set up. Section 2
(g) of the Act set up the Central Pollution Control Board
(CPCB) whose powers extended to the whole of India. To follow
the orders and directives of the CPCB, the State Pollution Control
Board (SPCB) for the individual states of India were also set up.

C.) Land Pollution Laws and Regulations

Land is recognized as an important component of environment as
defined in section 2(a) of the of the Environment Protection Act,1986.
However, the Act does not deal in detail with land pollution. The Forest
Conservation Act,1980 was enacted to help conserve the country’s
forests. It strictly restricts and regulates the de-reservation of forests or
use of forest land for non-forest purposes without the prior approval of
Central Government. To this end, the Act lays down the prerequisites for
the diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes.

Hazardous Wastes (Management, Handling and Transboundary

Movement) Rules, 2008 lays down the responsibilities of the
organization for the safe and environmentally sound handling and
disposal of such substances. The hazardous waste generated shall be
sent to a recycler or re-user or a re-processor registered and authorized
or should be disposed in an authorized disposal facility.

The Chemical accidents (Emergency Planning Preparedness and

Response) Rules 1996, requires the state as well as the centre to form
“crisis groups” at the national, state, district and local levels who will be
responsible dealing with any major accident.

The Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000

applies to every municipal authority responsible for collection,
segregation, storage, transportation, processing and disposal of
municipal waste. Littering is strictly prohibited and authorities should
devise plans of house-to-house or locality-to-locality collection of waste
from slums and such areas such as hotels, offices and commercial
areas. Collection of waste from slaughter houses, meat and fish markets
and vegetable markets should be planned accordingly ensuring proper
segregation and disposal. Municipalities should adopt recycling
technologies to decrease the burden on landfills which should be
allowed only for non-biodegradable substances and inert material which
cannot be recycled. Landfilling of mixed waste should be avoided and
proper segregation of biodegradable waste should be done to ensure
maximization of composting.

D. The Environment Protection Act, 1986

The Environment Protection Act was passed in the year 1986 to protect
the environment and to improve its current condition. Earlier, the Indian
Constitution did not have a provision for environmental protection.
However, after the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, this act was passed by the
Indian government for the protection of the environment against air,
water, noise, and soil pollution.

 The main provisions of the Environment Protection Act,1986 are:

 Protection of the environment against all forms of pollution is
covered, including air, water, soil, and noise.
 The Centre can carry out various activities and programmes to
further environmental protection.
 The discharge or emission of environmental pollutants by
industries will be regulated by safe standards, set by the Centre.
 Any citizen, except the authorized government officers, can file a
complaint regarding a breach of any of the provisions of the EPA.
 Restrictions on certain locations for the establishment of a
business or personal property can be imposed under this act if
they seem to endanger the environment.
 Under this act, samples of air, water, or soil from any place can be
tested and analysed by the authorized party.
 The discharge of hazardous pollutants beyond safety standards by
any individual or organization makes them liable for punishment,
hefty fines and even a complete ban on their activity.
 Management of hazardous substances should be done as per the
regulatory norms of the government.

2. Discuss about the effects of noise pollution.

 “Noise” maybe defined as any sound which is unpleasant to hear
or causes disturbance in the proper functioning of an individual.

 “Noise pollution” refers to continuous or prolonged exposure to

noise of such intensity and for such durations that it tends to affect
the individual and causes several health hazards such as
deafness, heart attack, etc. and causes damage to environment
and wildlife.

 Noise pollution tends to have detrimental effects. Noise pollution

impacts millions of people daily.

 The most common health problem related to noise pollution is that

it causes Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). Exposure to loud
noise can affect any life causing high blood pressure, heart
disease, sleep disturbances, and stress. These health problems
can affect all age groups, especially children. Many children who
live near noisy airports or streets have been found to suffer from
stress and other problems, such as impairments in memory,
attention level, and reading skill. However, it is a threat to all
people irrespective of age and gender.

 Noise pollution has also been observed to disturb wildlife and

studies have been conducted to prove the same. Animals rely on
sound for sustaining life and to carry on life processes. Exposure
to loud noises can disrupt their balance and make them prone to
hazards. Studies have shown that loud noises cause caterpillars’
hearts to beat faster and bluebirds to have fewer chicks.

 Apart from land, it is also a growing problem for ocean life. Ships,
oil drills, sonar devices, and seismic tests have made the marine
environment loud and chaotic causing disturbances to marine life.
Whales and dolphins are particularly impacted by noise pollution.
These marine mammals rely on echolocation to communicate,
navigate, feed, and find mates, and excess noise interferes with
their ability to effectively echolocate.

 Extreme behaviour is often observed in people exposed to high

noise levels. It also affects with the sleep patterns of a person and
pave the way for various health hazards.
Noise pollution needs to be controlled and managed to lead a better life
and avoid hazards to life.

3. What are the instruments used for measurement

of noise pollution?
 The instrument widely used to determine the amount of noise is
the
“Sound-level meter” or “decibel meter”.
 Sound is measured as a pressure and the unit used is decibel.
 A sound level meter is a device for measuring the intensity of
noise, music, and other sounds.
 A typical sound level meter consists of a microphone for picking up
the sound and converting it into an electrical signal, followed by
electronic circuitry for operating on this signal so that the desired
characteristics can be measured.
 The indicating device is usually calibrated to read the sound level
in decibels.
 The threshold of hearing is about zero decibels for the average
young listener, and threshold of pain (loud noise) is around 120
decibels, which has a power of 1,000,000,000,000 (or 10 12) times
greater than zero decibels.
 The electronic circuitry can be adjusted to read the level of most
frequencies in the sound being measured or the intensity of
selected bands of frequencies. Because the alternating
current (AC) signal received by the unit’s microphone first must be
converted to a direct current (DC), a time constant must be
incorporated to average the signal. The constant selected depends
on the purpose for which the instrument was designed or for which
it is being used.
 A typical sound-level meter can be switched between a scale that
reads sound intensities uniformly for most frequencies—called
unweighted—and a scale that introduces a frequency-dependent
weighting factor, thus yielding a response more nearly like that of
the human ear.
  After we get the readings, we can compare it with standards to
understand if noise levels are exceeding the standards and if they
are then by how much.
 In India, we use standards prescribed by Central Pollution Control
Board (CPCB) as follows:

NAME OF AREA LIMITS IN DB

DAY TIME NIGHTTIME
INDUSTRIAL 75 70
RESIDENTIAL 55 45
COMMERCIAL 65 55
SILENCE 50 40

4.) How noise pollution can be controlled?

Noise pollution can be very disturbing and disturbs the proper
functioning of any life. It also affects the environment and thus certain
steps can be implemented to reduce the effect of noise in our
surroundings.

 For people working in noisy installations, ear-protection aids like

earplugs, earmuffs, noise helmets, headphones etc. must be
provided to reduce occupational exposure.
 Designing, fabricating, and using quieter machines to replace
the noisy ones.
 Proper lubrication and better maintenance of machines.
 Installing noisy machines only in soundproof chambers.
 Covering noise-producing machine parts with sound-absorbing
materials to check noise production.
  Reducing the noise produced from a vibrating machine by
vibration damping i.e., making a layer of damping material
(rubber, neoprene, cork, or plastic) beneath the machine.
 Using silencers to control noise from automobiles, ducts,
exhausts etc.
 There should be silence zones near the residential areas,
educational institutions and above all, near hospitals. Zoning of
noisy industrial areas, bus terminals and railway stations,
aerodromes etc. away from the residential areas i.e., increasing
the distance between source and receiver.
 The space/cracks that get left between the door and the wall
should be packed with sound absorbing material.
 Sound insulation can be done by constructing windows with
double or triple panes of glass and filling the gaps with sound
absorbing materials.
 Acoustical tiles, perforated plywood etc. can be fixed on walls,
ceilings, floors etc. to reduce noise (especially for soundproof
recording rooms etc.)
 Planting of Trees: Green buffer scheme involves planting green
trees and shrubs along roads, hospitals, educational institutions
etc. to reduce noise to a considerable extent. Trees like
Ashoka, Neem, Tamarind is good for this purpose.
 White noise: - It is a special type of sound signal which is used
to mask background sounds. White noise helps to mask out
sounds which might otherwise prevent one from either falling
asleep or waking up whilst asleep.
 Strict legislative measures need to be enforced to curb the
menace of noise pollution. Noise standards (Table) should be
strictly followed. Minimum use of loudspeakers and amplifiers
especially near silence zones. Banning pressure horns in
automobiles.

5. Write a short note on:

A. Integrated river basin water management

B. Restoration of water bodies

C. Thermal pollution and underground disposal

D. Instrumentation for water quality and treatment

A.) Integrated river basin water management

- It (IRBM) is the process of coordinating conservation, management and
development of water, land and related resources across sectors within
a given river basin, in order to maximise the economic and social
benefits derived from water resources in an equitable manner while
preserving and, where necessary, restoring freshwater ecosystems. The
central principle is that naturally functioning river basin ecosystems,
including accompanying wetland and groundwater systems, are the
source of freshwater.

B.) Restoration of water bodies

Pollution of waterbodies leads to eutrophication of ponds and lakes by

boosting growth of algae. Excessive algal growth, in turn, interferes with
penetration of light and also leads to reduced dissolved oxygen levels in
water bodies, thereby hampering the growth of other aquatic organisms
and disruption of the balance of the aquatic ecosystem. Due to reduced
dissolved oxygen, anaerobic degradation of organic matter takes place,
which leads to the production of foul-smelling gases like ammonia and
hydrogen sulphide, causing odour issues in the vicinity. Restoration is
any technique or process undertaken by concerned parties both public
and private to undo all the damage caused by human activities and
restore the water bodies to their natural health. For instance,
Bioremediation is a treatment process in which the affected water body
is restored by in-situ application of selective bio-cultures (yeast, fungi or
bacteria) which help breakdown the pollutants in the affected water
bodies.
 C.) Thermal pollution and underground disposal

Thermal pollution is defined as a sudden increase or decrease in

temperature of a natural body of water, which may be ocean, lake, river
or pond by human influence. This normally occurs when a plant or facility
takes in water from a natural resource and puts it back with an altered
temperature. Usually, these facilities use it as a cooling method for their
machinery or to help better produce their products.
Underground disposal is the method of disposal of waste in pits which
are then covered by soil. It is considered as the ideal and economical
choice for radioactive waste. This includes the waste generated from lab
experiments, some medical treatments, mining of radioactive ore, and
the production of nuclear fuel. Underground hazardous waste disposal is
only done in partially active and inactive mines, which meet particular
technical and geological criteria.

4. Instrumentation for water quality and treatment

The state of art instrumentation and automatic systems comprise
of technology driven instruments such as flow meters, pressure
transmitters and gauges, temperature transmitters, level
transmitters, chlorine, turbidity analysers, pH analysers, ammonia
analysers, MLSS analysers and special multi parameter water
quality analysers for COD, BOD and TSS. These high-end
analysers not only continuously monitor water quality but also
enhance operation performance. For instance, On-Line water flow
consumption measurement helps to analyse consumption
patterns, identify leakages, calculate efficiency of pumps, depict
NRW (non-revenue water), asses the performance of WTP/STP,
monitor the per capita water consumption, identify inefficient
fixtures. These flow meters are very sensitive and provide accurate
digital output. With modern technology, remote metering is
available, with outputs accessible several kilometres away from
the point of measurement. This facilitates data to be easily
incorporated with existing BMS (Building Management System) or
DMS (Data Management System).