In the Constitution of India it is clearly stated that it is the duty of the state to ‘protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country’. It imposes a duty on every citizen ‘to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife’. Reference to the environment has also been made in the Directive Principles of State Policy as well as the Fundamental Rights. The Department of Environment was established in India in 1980 to ensure a healthy environment for the country. This later became the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 1985.

The constitutional provisions are backed by a number of laws – acts, rules, and notifications. The EPA (Environment Protection Act), 1986 came into force soon after the Bhopal Gas Tragedy and is considered an umbrella legislation as it fills many gaps in the existing laws. Thereafter a large number of laws came into existence as the problems began arising, for example, Handling and Management of Hazardous Waste Rules in 1989.

Following is a list of the environmental legislations that have come into effect:
General
Forest and wildlife
Water
Air

General

1986 – The Environment (Protection) Act authorizes the central government to protect and improve environmental quality, control and reduce pollution from all sources, and prohibit or restrict the setting and /or operation of any industrial facility on environmental grounds.

1986 – The Environment (Protection) Rules lay down procedures for setting standards of emission or discharge of environmental pollutants.

1989 – The objective of Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules is to control the generation, collection, treatment, import, storage, and handling of hazardous waste.

1989 – The Manufacture, Storage, and Import of Hazardous Rules define the terms used in this context, and sets up an authority to inspect, once a year, the industrial activity connected with hazardous chemicals and isolated storage facilities.

1989 – The Manufacture, Use, Import, Export, and Storage of hazardous Micro-organisms/ Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells Rules were introduced with a view to protect the environment, nature, and health, in connection with the application of gene technology and microorganisms.

1991 – The Public Liability Insurance Act and Rules and Amendment, 1992 was drawn up to provide for public liability insurance for the purpose of providing immediate relief to the persons affected by accident while handling any hazardous substance.

1995 – The National Environmental Tribunal Act has been created to award compensation for damages to persons, property, and the environment arising from any activity involving hazardous substances.

1997 – The National Environment Appellate Authority Act has been created to hear appeals with respect to restrictions of areas in which classes of industries etc. are carried out or prescribed subject to certain safeguards under the EPA.

1998 – The Biomedical waste (Management and Handling) Rules is a legal binding on the health care institutions to streamline the process of proper handling of hospital waste such as segregation, disposal, collection, and treatment.

1999 – The Environment (Siting for Industrial Projects) Rules, 1999 lay down detailed provisions relating to areas to be avoided for siting of industries, precautionary measures to be taken for site selecting as also the aspects of environmental protection which should have been incorporated during the implementation of the industrial development projects.

2000 – The Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000 apply to every municipal authority responsible for the collection, segregation, storage, transportation, processing, and disposal of municipal solid wastes.

2000 – The Ozone Depleting Substances (Regulation and Control) Rules have been laid down for the regulation of production and consumption of ozone depleting substances.

2001 – The Batteries (Management and Handling) Rules, 2001 rules shall apply to every manufacturer, importer, re-conditioner, assembler, dealer, auctioneer, consumer, and bulk consumer involved in the manufacture, processing, sale, purchase, and use of batteries or components so as to regulate and ensure the environmentally safe disposal of used batteries.

2002 – The Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) (Amendment) Rules lay down
such terms and conditions as are necessary to reduce noise pollution, permit use of loud speakers or public address systems during night hours (between 10:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight) on or during any cultural or religious festive occasion

2002 – The Biological Diversity Act is an act to provide for the conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of its components, and fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the use of biological resources and knowledge associated with it

Forest and wildlife

1927 – The Indian Forest Act and Amendment, 1984, is one of the many surviving colonial statutes. It was enacted to ‘consolidate the law related to forest, the transit of forest produce, and the duty leviable on timber and other forest produce’.

1972 – The Wildlife Protection Act, Rules 1973 and Amendment 1991 provides for the protection of birds and animals and for all matters that are connected to it whether it be their habitat or the waterhole or the forests that sustain them.

1980 – The Forest (Conservation) Act and Rules, 1981, provides for the protection of and the conservation of the forests.

Water

1882 – The Easement Act allows private rights to use a resource that is, groundwater, by viewing it as an attachment to the land. It also states that all surface water belongs to the state and is a state property.

1897 – The Indian Fisheries Act establishes two sets of penal offences whereby the government can sue any person who uses dynamite or other explosive substance in any way (whether coastal or inland) with intent to catch or destroy any fish or poisonous fish in order to kill.

1956 – The River Boards Act enables the states to enroll the central government in setting up an Advisory River Board to resolve issues in inter-state cooperation.

1970 – The Merchant Shipping Act aims to deal with waste arising from ships along the coastal areas within a specified radius.

1974 – The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act establishes an institutional structure for preventing and abating water pollution. It establishes standards for water quality and effluent. Polluting industries must seek permission to discharge waste into effluent bodies.
The CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) was constituted under this act.

1977 – The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act provides for the levy and collection of cess or fees on water consuming industries and local authorities.

1978 – The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Rules contains the standard definitions and indicate the kind of and location of meters that every consumer of water is required to affix.

1991 – The Coastal Regulation Zone Notification puts regulations on various activities, including construction, are regulated. It gives some protection to the backwaters and estuaries.

Air

1948 – The Factories Act and Amendment in 1987 was the first to express concern for the working environment of the workers. The amendment of 1987 has sharpened its environmental focus and expanded its application to hazardous processes.

1981 – The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act provides for the control and abatement of air pollution. It entrusts the power of enforcing this act to the CPCB .

1982 – The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Rules defines the procedures of the meetings of the Boards and the powers entrusted to them.

1982 – The Atomic Energy Act deals with the radioactive waste.

1987 – The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Act empowers the central and state pollution control boards to meet with grave emergencies of air pollution.

1988 – The Motor Vehicles Act states that all hazardous waste is to be properly packaged, labelled, and transported.

The above laws have been sourced from:
Environmental policy-making in India – The process and its pressure, TERI report.
Indian Environmental Legislations, list from the MOEF web site.
Strengthening Environmental Legislations in India, document by Centre for Environmental Law, WWF.

How long does it take to decompose ?

Paper Towel – 2-4 weeks
Banana Peel – 3-4 weeks
Paper Bag – 1 month
Newspaper – 1.5 months
Apple Core – 2 months
Cardboard – 2 months
Cotton Glove – 3 months
Orange peels – 6 months
Plywood – 1-3 years
Wool Sock – 1-5 years
Milk Cartons – 5 years
Cigarette Butts – 10-12 years
Leather shoes – 25-40 years
Tinned Steel Can – 50 years
Foamed Plastic Cups – 50 years
Rubber-Boot Sole – 50-80 years
Plastic containers – 50-80 years
Aluminum Can – 200-500 years
Plastic Bottles – 450 years
Disposable Diapers – 550 years
Monofilament Fishing Line – 600 years
Plastic Bags – 200-1000 years.

So plastic is one of the, but not the only major reasons related to the Global Green House Effect. We have to take have knowledge of all the obstacles in creating a new clean environment

– Please Support a Green Environment. 🌳🌿

This amazing selection of pictures will make us realise how important trees are. 🌴

Watch how these hapless animals try to hide from the sun with whatever shade they can get. Sometimes even the narrow rectangular shadow of, believe it or not, an electric pole is heavenly for living beings.

This is also an exhortation to plant more trees

In Indonesia, banana tree trunks are used for growing veggies. They dont need watering as this contains plenty of moisture. After harvesting, the trunk decomposes and enriches the soil.
Pls share this, let our gardeners / farmers too learn this beautiful and amazing way of saving water.

Some of Africa’s oldest and biggest baobab trees have abruptly died, wholly or in part, in the past decade, according to researchers.

The trees, aged between 1,100 and 2,500 years and in some cases as wide as a bus is long, may have fallen victim to climate change, the team speculated.

Read More..

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/11/giant-african-baobab-trees-die-suddenly-after-thousands-of-years

Max Temperatures recorded in some Indian cities:

☀Lucknow 47 degrees
☀Delhi 47 degrees
☀Agra 45 degrees
☀Nagpur 49 degrees
☀Kota 48 degrees
☀Hyderabad 45 degrees
☀Pune 42 degrees
☀Ahmedabad 46 degrees
☀ Mumbai 42 degrees
☀ Nashik 40 degrees
☀Bangalore 40 degrees
☀ Chennai 45 degrees

Next years these cities will cross 50 degrees. Even AC or fan will not save you in summer..

Why is it so hot ???

In last 10 years over 10 crore trees were cut for widening roads and highways.

But not more than a lakh trees has been planted by govt. or public.

How to make India cool ???

Please do not wait for government to plant trees.

Sowing seeds or planting trees does not cost much.

Just collect seeds of Shatavari, Bel, Peeple, Tulsi, mango, Lemon, Jamun, Neem, Custard Apple, Jack fruit, etc.

Then dig two-three inch hole on open spaces, roadside, footpaths, highways, gardens and also in your society or bungalow.

Bury these seeds in each hole with soil and then water them every two days in summer.

In rainy season no need to water them.

After 15 to 30 days small plants will be born.

Please nurture them and ensure they grow big.

Let us make this a National movement and plant 10 crore trees all over India.

We should stop temperature from crossing 50 degrees…..

Please plant maximum trees and forward the link of this message to everyone. Lets distribute saplings as return gifts during functions, birthdays etc.

🌿🌴🌳🌲🌻🌲🌳🌴🌿

This video is of just 20 seconds. It’s absolutely marvelous. A spider spinning it’s web. Look at the remarkable precision with which he engineer’s his structure with beams and bracings