Overview of Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board

The Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board(RSPCB) was constituted under section 4 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974in the year 1975, aiming to prevent and control water pollution and maintainthe quality of the natural water resources in the state. Later, the Board was also entrusted with preventing and controlling air pollution under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. To make the RSPCB financially independent, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act of 1977 was enacted by the Rajasthan State government. That gave the RSPCB the authority to collect cess on the water consumed by the industries in the state. The Rajasthan Pollution Board has 13 authorised labsfor testing samples and 15 regional officesspread all over the state. It providesConsent NOC and its renewalto industries falling into red, orange and green categories.

Role of RSPCB in Environment Preservation

The Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB) works in consonance with the different departments in the state that are related to Environment protection, such as

• Department of Environment: to achieve the objectives of a clean and healthy environment and to address environmental problems, the Government of Rajasthan, establishedthe Department of Environment in September 1983. To address the issueof Environmental Conservation and Biodiversity conservation, a Directorate of Environment and Climate Change wasestablished in 2019 by the state government.
• Rajasthan State Biodiversity Board: In exercise of the powers conferred under sub-section (1) of Section 63 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, the Government of Rajasthan framed the Rajasthan Biological Diversity Rules, 2010.
• Rajasthan State Wetland Authority (RSWA): Under section 5(1) of the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules 2017, the Government of Rajasthan constituted the State Wetland Authority Rajasthan (SWAR)

Powers and Functions ofRajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB)

After the enactment of the Environment (Protection) Act in 1986, the scope of the RSPCB was further widened. The EP Act wasan umbrella legislation to address the problems related to environmental preservation. Today the Board aims to create an enabling atmosphere and foster appropriate partnership in environmental governance in Rajasthan. RSPCB is engaged in implementing the following Acts and rules in the State of Rajasthan.

• Rajasthan Water (Prevention Control of Pollution) Rules, 1975.
• Water (Prevention Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977.
• Municipal Solid Waste (Management Handling) Rules, 2000.
• Noise (Pollution Control Regulation) Rules, 2000.
• Air (Prevention Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
• Environmental Impact Assessment Notification Dated 14/09/2006.
• Hazardous Waste (Management, Handling and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2008.
• Plastic Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011.
• Manufacture, Storage & Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules, 1989.
• Manufacture, Use, Import, Export & Storage of Hazardous Micro-organisms/Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells Rules, 1989.
• Public (Liability) Insurance Act, 1991.
• Rajasthan Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Cess Rules, 1978.
• Environmental Impact Assessment (Aravalli) Notification Dated 07/05/1992.
• Chemical Accidents Rules, 1996.
• Bio-Medical Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 1998.
• Fly Ash Act, 1999.

• Ozone Depleting Substances (Regulation) Rules, 2000.
• Battery (Management & Handling) Rules, 2001.

• Rajasthan Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Rules, 1983.

Consent Process under Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board

The Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB) providesNo Objection Certificates (NOC)in the form of Consent to Establish (CTE) and Consent to Operate (CTO). Industries need these consentsto discharge their effluents that have been considered polluting in nature. CTE is provided before establishment of the industry, whileCTOonce the industry is established and ready to operate.An inspection officer will conduct site inspections to ensure compliance with the mandated environment protocols. The applicant has to apply for these consentsaccording to their categories and submit relevant documents per the unit’s nature.CPCB uses the Pollution Index (PI) system to classify industries into red, orange, green and white categories. The red category has the highest pollution index of more than 60, the orange category is between 40 to 60, while the green category has PI between 21 and 40. The white category has the least PI, i.e. Index below 20. 

Documents needed for Consent ToEstablish (CTE)

Before establishing any industry, project or activity, the project proponent requires the applicant to submit the documents depending upon the industry's category, size and nature. Documents need to be submitted to the online consent management portal of the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB). The following documents are required.

• Online Application Form
• Proof of consent Fee payment

• Layout Plan showing total available space/area within the unit
• Documents related toland ownership
• NOC or Proof of application for the abstraction of groundwaterbefore CGWA or a self-declaration that groundwater will not be extracted
• List of names of addresses of all directors and partners
• Project Report certified by CA
• Proposal for STP of appropriate capacity. (if applicable)
• Environmental Clearanceor self-declaration (if applicable)
• Udyog Aadhar/ DIC acknowledgement/ Udhyam Registration Certificate (if applicable)

Documents needed for Consent to Operate (CTO)

CTO will be issued once the industry has been established and the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB) has approved the site inspection report. Documents required to obtain a CTO include

• Online Consent Application form

• Proof of Production
• List of machinery installed.
• Monitoring report for different sources of emission or effluents as applicable, and accreditation from State Board Laboratory or laboratories recognised by MoEF or CPCB
• Proof Deposit of fees for consent certificate
• Proof of CTE
• Proof of compliance report (for renewal)

• Proof of InstalledPollution Control Measures and its feasibility report

• Analysis report of the stack monitoring and noise level (if applicable)

Copy of Clearance from NBWL (if applicable)

Procedure for acquiring Consent Certificate from RSPCB

The Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB) will issue Consent to establish within a stipulated time, and the validity period of the Consent will be 3 to 5 years depending upon the industry category. If the project proponent requires renewal of the Consent, a request must be made atleast four months before the expiry of validity.

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