PREVENTING AIR POLLUTION

SUB-TOPICS• ACTS against air pollution.• Sections under this act.• Amendments made.• Implementation

ACTS FOR PREVENTING AIR POLLUTION

• Factories Act (1948).• Air (Prevention and Control of pollution)Act-

1981.• Atomic Energy Act -1962.• Motor vehicles Act -1988.

Factories Act(1948)

Introduction

• First Factories Act passed in India in 1881.• But came into force on 1st April 1949. • Extends to the whole country.• Extended to Pondicherry in 1963 , to Goa in

1965 and to the state of Jammu and Kashmir in 1970.

Objective

• To ensure adequate safety and health measure for workers.

• To prevent haphazard growth of factories.• To regulate working conditions , working hours

and days of workers.• To prevent employment of children and

woman in factories.

Importance of Factory Act

• Limit the working hours of adult.• 48 hours a week or 9 hours a day.• If one works for more than these hours then

he would be given twice the rate of his ordinary payment for extra hours.

• If a worker is deprived of any of his holidays then he should be given that much holiday in the next month.

Safety measures

• Fencing of machinery – Sec. 21• Working near machinery in motion – Sec. 22• Emplyoment of young near dangerous

machines – Sec. 23• Prohibition of woman and children near

cotton openers – Sec. 27• Hoist and lifts – Sec. 28

Welfare Measures

• Shelters , rest-rooms and canteens when more than 150 workers – Sec.47

• Creches when there are more than 30 woman workers – Sec.48

• Welfare office when more than 500 workers – Sec.49

Penalties

• For breaking rules - Imprisionment upto 2 years or fine upto 1 lakh.

• On continuation – Rs.1000 per day.• Obstructing inspectors – imprisionment upto 6

months or Rs.10,000 fine.• Wrongly disclosing results – same as the

previous one.

Air (Prevention and control of pollution)Act 1981

History

• Decisions were taken at United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in June, 1972.

• In that , India decided to take appropriate steps for preservation of natural resources which there by means prevention of air quality.

Objective

• Prevention , control and abatement of air polltution .

• Done by making different Boards.• Extends to whole India.

Central Board

• Taken from Water(control and prevention of pollution)Act-1974.

• Under section-3.• Looks upon the working of different State

Boards.• Has to look after the Union Territories.• Also plays a vital role in any kind of

amendment to be made in the Act.

State Boards

• This one is also taken from Water(control and prevention of polltuion )Act-1974.

• Under section-4.• Looks after all the law to be passed or

amendments to be made for the better working of the Act.

Prevention and control of Air Pollution(sec.-19)

• State govt. after consulting with State Boards can take the following steps-:

a) Usage of only approved fuel in a particular area.

b) Usage of only approved appliances for burning of coal.

c) These approvals are done by State Boards.

• Can standarize the amount of emmision from automobiles and factories – Sec.-20

• New industrial has to get approval from State Boards and have to pay specific fee for setting up – Sec.-21

Funds, Accounts and Audits

• Contribution by Central Govt.• Take loans or can make issue bonds with any

source by a long and legal procedure when needed under certain conditons.

• Have to make full record of previous financial year.

Audits

• Accounts then audited by auditors.• Appointed by Central Board or by State board.• Can inspect any of the offices under these

boards.• Can ask for any record ,any account or any

book.

Penalties

• If failed to work according Sec-20 or Sec-21 :- imprisionment ranging from 1 and half years to 6 years including specific amount of fine.

• If failure continues :- Imprisionment may extend to 7 years.

• Contravening rules under Sec. 39 :- imprisionment upto 3 months or fine of 10,000 rupees.

• Can be set free only if any Board give an application in favour of him in the court.

• Offences by any company – Sec.40• Offences by Govt. departments – Sec.41• Members, officials of Boards to be a public

servants – Sec.44

Research in the field

• Bio-filtration• Catalytic converters

Bio-filtration

• Reduce emissions from chicken and swine barns.

• Polluted air passed through an organic matter such as compost or wood containing bacteria.

• Bacterias breakdown harmful air pollutants into non-harmful or less harmful compounds.

• This process is mainly done for converting ammonia into nitrates.

• During such reactions , large amount of heat is produced .

• The heat is then sent to heat exchanger in which large fans are there to cool down .

• Reseacher showed that this prototype can be implemented in today’s world .

• As it converts 79% of ammonia into nitrates.• Reduced the energy needed for high

temperature upto 8.3 kilowatts of heat.

Catalytic Converters

• Fumes coming out of motor vehicles consist of complex harmful coumpounds.

• Basic concept – breakdown of complex harmful compounds into its elemental form.

• Catalyst’s work is to break these compounds.

Problem faced

• These catalytic converters use precious metals such platinum etc.

• Therefore expensive.• High repair cost.• Cannot be used with leaded fuel as lead

prevents breakdown of harmful compounds.