Lok Sabha Question No. 3489 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-16
Subject: Pollution from Factories
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: RAVINDRA VISHWANATH GAIKWAD

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3489

TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.03.2018

## Pollution from Factories

## 3489.   PROF. RAVINDRA VISHWANATH GAIKWAD:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the  Government has reviewed the standards  of  factories  emitting  poisonous smoke, spreading pollution in the country, which has caused many fatal diseases to the people living there like asthma, lung cancer, blindness etc. and is causing many deaths;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of standards policy of the Government regarding pollution;
- (d) whether need to change the said standards was felt during review; and
- (e) if so, the reasons therefor, and the steps being taken by the Government to save people of cities from pollution?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

(a) & (b) The  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  &  Climate  Change  (MoEF&CC)  under the  Environment  (Protection)  Act,  1986  is  empowered  to  take  necessary  measures  for protection  and  improvement  of  the  quality  of  the  environment  and  health  by  setting  up standards for emissions and discharge of pollutants in the environment. The MoEF&CC has developed 45 industry specific effluent standards and 57 industry specific emission standards for 78 different sectors of industries besides 32 general standards for ambient air, noise and water discharge. Review of these standards is an ongoing process and takes into account the technical  and  financial  feasibility  and  health  aspect.    Compliance  with  the  standards  is expected to address issues related to health and diseases such as asthma, lung cancer etc.

(c) to (e) The  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change  notifies  new environmental standards besides undertaking revision of existing standards based on scientific inputs and techno-economic feasibility to address pollution from various sources from time to time.

Steps  taken  for  saving  people  of  cities  from  industrial  pollution, inter-alia include, notification of National Ambient Air Quality Standards; setting up of monitoring network for assessment of  ambient  air  quality;  launching  of  National  Air  Quality  index;  introduction  of cleaner / alternate fuels; universalization of BS-IV by 2020; leapfrogging from BS-IV to BSVI fuel standards by 1 st April,2020; promotion of public transport and network of metro, erickshaws,  promotion  of  car  pooling,  Pollution  Under  Control  Certificate,  lane  discipline, vehicle maintenance, notification of Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules; banning  of  burning  of  biomass;  issuance  of  directions  under  Section  18(1)(b)  of  Air (Prevention  and  Control  of  Pollution)  Act,  1981  comprising  of  action  points  to  counter  air pollution  in  major  cities  including  control  and  mitigation  measures  related  to  vehicular emissions, re-suspension of road dust and other fugitive emissions, bio-mass/municipal solid waste burning, industrial pollution,  construction and demolition activities, and other general steps;  installation  of  on-line  continuous  (24x7)  monitoring  devices  by  major  industries; notification  of  graded  response  action  plan  for  Delhi  and  NCR; categorization  of  industries based on pollution potential; revision of environmental standards for various industrial sectors and setting up of 'Environmental Surveillance Squad' for carrying out surprise inspections of 17 categories of highly polluting large & medium scale units; etc.

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