Dr. Madhusudanan M
Former Regional Director, CPCB

Air and noise pollution regulations

ABSTRACT

The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, and The Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 are the primary legislation addressing air pollution and noise pollution in India. The act empowers the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) at the national level and State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) at the state level to enforce pollution control measures. The National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), issuance of Pollution Under Control (PUC) Certificate, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), and daily Bulletin of Air Pollution Index are major influencing programs under Air Pollution control. The Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, under the Environment (Protection) Act, provide for the regulation and control of noise pollution. They set permissible noise levels for different areas and time periods. The major challenges are Enforcement and compliance issues. Lack of real-time air quality monitoring in many areas, Rapid urbanization and industrialization contributing to pollution, and Limited public awareness and participation. The effectiveness of these regulations depends on their strict implementation, public awareness, and collaborative efforts from various stakeholders.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Former Regional Director & Scientist, Central Pollution Control Board. Presently associated with IITM, Department of Civil Engineering as Senior Project Consultant. 35 years of experience in the Coordination and implementation of Water, Air and EP (Act) 1986. In charge of CPCB Regional Laboratory for more than 15 years, Part of all statutory (NABL, OSHA and EPA) audits. Associated with NAMP, CAAQM, CEPI, ZLD, OCEMS, NCAP and AQI. As an Expert Member represented CPCB in Supreme Court and NGT committees, Coordinated Lake Mitigations at Bengaluru, Former Member of the Board of Examinations for PG – Environmental Science, Bangalore University, Technical Committee, Regional Occupational Health Centre (Bangalore), IPDS project, Ministry of Textiles, Member, Sugar Development Fund, Ministry of Agriculture etc. Guided students for the M.Tech programme, published and presented many papers in conferences, workshops and training programmes. Visited different countries as part of the work.