Summary on Air Prevention and

Control of Pollution Act (1981) of

India
Article shared by : <="" div="" style="margin: 0px;
padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: bottom;
background: transparent; max-width: 100%;">

ADVERTISEMENTS:

Summary on Air Prevention and Control of Pollution Act

(1981) of India!
It is also a comprehensive legislation with more than fifty sections. It
makes provisions, interalia, for Central and State Boards, power to
declare pollution control areas, restrictions on certain industrial units,
authority of the Boards to limit emission of air pollutants, power of
entry, inspection, taking samples and analysis, penalties, offences by
companies and Government and cognizance of offences etc..

ADVERTISEMENTS:

The Act specifically empowers State Government to designate air

pollution areas and to prescribe the type of fuel to be used in these
designated areas. According to this Act, no person can operate certain
types of industries including the asbestos, cement, fertilizer and
petroleum industries without consent of the State Board.

The Board can predicate its consent upon the fulfillment of certain
conditions. The Air Act apparently adopts an industry wide “best
available technology” requirement. As in the Water Act, courts may
hear complaints under the Act only at the instigation of, or with the
sanction of, the State Board.

The Government passed this Act in 1981 to clean up our air by

controlling pollution. It states that sources of air pollution such as
industry, vehicles, power plants, etc., are not permitted to release
particulate matter, lead, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen
oxide, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or other toxic substances
beyond a prescribed level.

To ensure this, Pollution Control Boards (PCBs) have been set up by

Government to measure pollution levels in the atmosphere and at
certain sources by testing the air. This is measured in parts per million
or in milligrams or micrograms per cubic meter.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

The particulate matter and gases that are released by industry and by
cars, buses and two wheelers is measured by using air-sampling
equipment. However, the most important aspect is for people
themselves to appreciate the dangers of air pollution and reduce their
own potential as polluters by seeing that their own vehicles or the
industry they work in reduces levels of emissions.

This Act is created to take appropriate steps for the preservation of the
natural resources of the Earth which among other things includes the
preservation of high quality air and ensures controlling the level of air
pollution.
The main objectives of the Act are as follows:
(a) To provide for the prevention, control and abatement of air
pollution.

(b) To provide for the establishment of central and State Boards with a
view to implement the Act.

(c) To confer on the Boards the powers to implement the provisions of

the Act and assign to the Boards functions relating to pollution.

Air pollution is more acute in heavily industrialized and urbanized

areas, which are also densely populated. The presence of pollution
beyond certain Limits due to various pollutants discharged through
industrial emission is monitored by the PCBs set up in every state.

Powers and Functions of the Boards:

Central Pollution Board:
The main function of the Central Board is to implement legislation
created to improve the quality of air and to prevent and control air
pollution in the country.

The-Board advises the Central Government on matters concerning the

improvement of air quality and also coordinates activities, provides
technical assistance and guidance to State Boards and lays down
standards for the quality of air. It collects and disseminates
information in respect of matters relating to air pollution and
performs functions as prescribed in the Act.

State Pollution Control Boards:

ADVERTISEMENTS:
The State Boards have the power to advise the State Government on
any matter concerning the prevention and control of air pollution.
They have the right to inspect at all reasonable times any control
equipment, industrial plant, or manufacturing process and give orders
to take the necessary steps to control pollution.

They are expected to inspect air pollution control areas at intervals or

whenever necessary. They are empowered to provide standards for
emissions to be laid down for different industrial plants with regard to
quantity and composition of emission of air pollutants into the
atmosphere.

A State Board may establish or recognize a laboratory to perform this

function. The State Governments have been given powers to declare
air pollution control areas after consulting with the State Board and
also give instructions to ensure standards of emission from
automobiles and restriction on use of certain industrial plants.

Penalties:
The persons managing industry are to be penalized if they produce
emissions of air pollutants in excess of the standards laid down by the
State Board. The Board also makes applications to the court for
restraining persons causing air pollution.

Whoever contravenes any of the provision of the Act or any order or

direction issued is punishable with imprisonment for a term which
may extend to three months or with a fine of Rs. 10,000 or with both,
and in case of continuing offence with an additional fine which may
extend to Rs 5,000 for every day during which such contravention
continues after conviction for the first contravention.

Home ›› Acts

Ambient Air Quality Standards in India

Share

Ambient air quality refers to the condition or quality of air surrounding us in the outdoors. National Ambient Air
Quality Standards are the standards for ambient air quality set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
that is applicable nationwide. The CPCB has been conferred this power by the Air (Prevention and Control of
Pollution) Act, 1981.

Ambient Air Quality Standards in India

The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981 was enacted by the Central Government with the
objective of arresting the deterioration of air quality. The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981
describes the main functions of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) as follows:

 To advise the Central Government on any matter concerning the improvement of the quality the air and the
prevention, control and abatement of air pollution.

 To plan and cause to be executed a nation-wide programme for the prevention, control and abatement of
air pollution.

 To provide technical assistance and guidance to the State Pollution Control Board.

 To carry out and sponsor investigations and research related to prevention, control and abatement of air
pollution.

 To collect, compile and publish technical and statistical data related to air pollution; and

 To lay down and annul standards for the quality of air

The mandate provided to the CPCB under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act empowers it to set
standards for the quality of air.

The current National Ambient Air Quality Standards were notified on 18 November 2009 by the Central
Pollution Control Board.

Table 1: National Ambient Air Quality Standards

Pollutant Time Concentration in Ambient Air

 Weighted Industrial, Residential, Ecologically Sensitive Area
Average Rural and Other Areas (notified by Central
Government)

Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Annual* 50 80 20 80

µg/m3 24 hours**

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Annual* 40 80 30 80

µg/m3 24 hours**

Particulate Matter (size less Annual* 60 100 60 100

than 10 µm) or PM10 µg/m3 24 hours**

Particulate Matter (size less Annual* 40 60 40 60

than 2.5 µm) or PM2.5 µg/m3 24 hours**

Ozone (O3) µg/m3 8 hours* 100 180 100 180

1 hour**

Lead (Pb) Annual* 0.50 1.0 0.50 1.0

µg/m3 24 hours**

Carbon Monoxide (CO) mg/m3 8 hours* 02 04 02 04

1 hour**

Ammonia (NH3) µg/m3 Annual* 100 400 100 400

24 hours**

Benzene (C6H6) µg/m3 Annual* 5 5

Benzo(a)Pyrene (BaP)- Annual* 1 1

particulate phase only,
ng/m3

Arsenic(As), Annual* 6 60
ng/m3

Nickel (Ni), Annual* 20 20

ng/m3

* Annual arithmetic mean of minimum 104 measurements in a year at a particular site taken twice a week 24
hourly at uniform intervals.
** 24 hourly or 8 hourly or 1 hourly monitored values, as applicable, shall be complied with 98% of the time,
they may exceed the limits but not on two consecutive days of monitoring.
Source: National Ambient Air Quality Standards, Central Pollution Control Board Notification in the Gazette of
India, Extraordinary, New Delhi, 18th November, 2009

Prior to the November 2009 standards, India had set Air Quality standards on 11 April 1994, and this was later
revised on 14 October 1998. The 2009 standards further lowered the maximum permissible limits for pollutants
and made the standards uniform across the nation. Earlier, less stringent standards were prescribed for
industrial zones as compared to residential areas.

Further, a new National Air Quality Index (AQI) has been launched in October 2014 to disseminate information
on air quality in an easily understandable form for the general public. The measurement of air quality is based
on eight pollutants, namely, PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3, and Pb for which short-term (up to 24-hourly
averaging period) National Ambient Air Quality Standards are prescribed and the worst reading in these
pollutants represents the AQI for that city.

International Standards

The 2005 World Health Organization's "WHO Air quality guidelines" offer global guidance on thresholds and
limits for 4 key air pollutants that pose health risks - particulate matter (PM), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide
(NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2).

Guideline values prescribed by WHO are

PM2.5
10 μg/m3 annual mean
25 μg/m3 24-hour mean
PM10
20 μg/m3 annual mean
50 μg/m3 24-hour mean
O3
100 μg/m3 8-hour mean
NO2
40 μg/m3 annual mean
200 μg/m3 1-hour mean
SO2
20 μg/m3 24-hour mean
500 μg/m3 10-minute mean
The WHO Guidelines indicate that by reducing particulate matter (PM10) pollution from 70 to 20 micrograms per
cubic metre (μg/m), air pollution-related deaths can be cut by around 15%[1]. Indian Standards are slightly less
stringent as compared to WHO guidelines. However, the world's average PM10 levels by region range from 26
to 208 μg/m3, with a world's average of 71 μg/m3 as per WHO estimates published in 2014.

Many countries have their own Ambient Air Quality Standards prescribed for their territories. The Clean Air Act
in the US requires the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to set National Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS). Two types of Ambient Air Quality Standards are identified in the Clean Air Act: Primary
standards provide public health protection, including protecting the health of "sensitive" populations such as
asthmatics, children, and the elderly and Secondary standards provide public welfare protection, including
protection against decreased visibility and damage to animals, crops, vegetation, and buildings.[2] NAAQS has
been set for six pollutants in the US, namely, carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particle pollution
and sulphur dioxide. The values for these pollutants may be seen here.

The European Union has also developed legislations on air quality standards. The pollutants for which the
standards are specified are: PM2.5, sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), PM10, lead (Pb), carbon
monoxide (CO), Benzene, Ozone, Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Nickel (Ni), Polyclic Aromatic
Hydrocarbons.[3] Details may be seen here.

1. Ambient (outdoor air pollution) in both cities and rural areas was estimated to cause 3.7 million premature deaths

worldwide in 2012 according to WHO.

2. http://www.epa.gov/air/criteria.html

3. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/air/quality/standards.htm

National Air Quality Index (AQI) launched by the Environment Minister AQI is a
huge initiative under ‘Swachh Bharat’

AQI to act as ‘One Number- One Colour-One Description’ to judge the Air Quality
for Common Man: Shri PrakashJavadekar

The Minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change Shri Prakash Javadekar today
launched ‘The National Air Quality Index’ (AQI) in New Delhi.Speaking on the occasion, Shri
Javadekar outlined the AQI, as ‘One Number- One Colour-One Description’ for the common
man to judge the air quality within his vicinity. The formulation of the index was a continuation
of the initiatives under Swachh Bharat Mission envisioned by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri
NarendraModi.

Elaborating further, the Minister stated that the index constituted part of the
Government’s mission to introduce the culture of cleanliness. Institutional and infrastructural
measures were being undertaken in order to ensure that the mandate of cleanliness was fulfilled
across the country. As a part of the process, he mentioned that clean air would be a part of
Peoples’ campaignto take up the issue in a mission mode. In order to widen the ambit of the
culture of cleanliness, the Ministry proposed to discuss the issues concerned regarding quality of
air with the Ministry of Human Resource Development in order to include this issue as part of
the sensitizationprogramme in the course curriculum.

Under the new measurement process, Shri Javadekar stated that an effort had been made
to include a comprehensive set of parameters. While the earlier measuring index was limited to
three indicators, the current measurement index had been made quite comprehensive by the
addition of five additional parameters. Under the current measurement of air quality, 8
parameters. The initiatives undertaken by the Ministry recently aimed at balancing environment
and conservation and development.

Air pollution has been a matter of environmental and health concerns,particularly in

urban areas. Central Pollution Control Board along with State Pollution Control Boards has been
operating National Air Monitoring Program (NAMP) covering 240 cities of the country. In
addition, continuous monitoring systems that provide data on near real-time basis are also
installed in a few cities.

Traditionally, air quality status has been reported through voluminous data. Thus, it was
important that information on air quality is put up in public domain in simple linguistic terms
that is easily understood by a common person. Air Quality Index (AQI) is one such tool for
effective dissemination of air quality information to people. An Expert Group comprising
medical professionals, air quality experts, academia, advocacy groups, and SPCBs was
constitutedand a technical study was awarded to IIT Kanpur. IIT Kanpur and the Expert Group
recommended an AQI scheme.

There are six AQI categories, namely Good, Satisfactory, Moderately polluted, Poor,
Very Poor, and Severe. The proposed AQI will consider eight pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, NO2,
SO2, CO, O3, NH3, and Pb) for which short-term (up to 24-hourly averaging period) National
Ambient Air Quality Standards are prescribed.

Based on the measured ambient concentrations, corresponding standards and likely health
impact, a sub-index is calculated for each of these pollutants. The worst sub-index reflects overall AQI.
Associated likely health impacts for different AQI categories and pollutants have been also been
suggested, with primary inputs from the medical expert members of the group. The AQI values and
corresponding ambient concentrations (health breakpoints) as well as associated likely health impacts
for the identified eight pollutants are as follows:
AQI Category, Pollutants and Health Breakpoints

AQI Category PM10 PM2.5 NO2 O3 CO SO2 NH3 Pb

(Range)
24-hr 24-hr 24-hr 8-hr 8-hr 24-hr 24-hr 24-hr
(mg/m3)

Good (0-50) 0-50 0-30 0-40 0-50 0-1.0 0-40 0-200 0-0.5

Satisfactory 51-100 31-60 41-80 51-100 1.1-2.0 41-80 201-400 0.5 –1.0
(51-100)

Moderately 101-250 61-90 81-180 101-168 2.1- 10 81-380 401-800 1.1-2.0

polluted

(101-200)

Poor 251-350 91-120 181-280 169-208 10-17 381-800 801- 2.1-3.0

1200
(201-300)

Very poor 351-430 121-250 281-400 209-748* 17-34 801-1600 1200- 3.1-3.5
1800
(301-400)

Severe 430 + 250+ 400+ 748+* 34+ 1600+ 1800+ 3.5+

(401-500)

*One hourly monitoring (for mathematical calculations only)

AQI Associated Health Impacts

Good Minimal Impact

(0–50)
Satisfactory May cause minor breathing discomfort to sensitive people.

(51–100)

Moderately polluted May cause breathing discomfort to people with lung disease such as asthma, and
discomfort to people with heart disease, children and older adults.
(101–200)

Poor May cause breathing discomfort to people on prolonged exposure, and discomfort
to people with heart disease
(201–300)

Very Poor May cause respiratory illness to the people on prolonged exposure. Effect may be
more pronounced in people with lung and heart diseases.
(301–400)

Severe May cause respiratory impact even on healthy people, and serious health impacts
on people with lung/heart disease. The health impacts may be experienced even
(401-500) during light physical activity.

The report will also be available on CPCB’s website (www.cpcb.nic.in) for 45 daysfor
seeking public views/comments. Thereafter, AQI scheme will be finalized after evaluating the
comments received and incorporating changes if any in the scheme.

CP/GV

****
MONITORING
The National Air Monitoring Programme (NAMP) is a nation-wide program
headed by the Central Pollution Control Board whose purpose is to monitor
levels of key air pollutants, report violations, and conduct research on pollution
trends. NAMP monitors levels of SO2, NO2, Suspended Particulate Matter
(SPM), and Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM / PM10) at 342
operating stations in 127 cities across India. The NAMP publishes a list of
cities that violate air quality standards, which can be found here.
On 29 November 2011, MoEP announced the expansion of monitoring to
include PM2.5 at select locations in