13.6 Urban environment notes

1. 13.6.1Environment (Protection) Act 1986, Water Act 1974 and Air Act 1981

   Three central laws form the base of pollution control that every town planner meets: the Water Act 1974 and Air Act 1981 run a consent system through the pollution control boards, and the Environment (Protection) Act 1986 is the umbrella law under which EIA, CRZ, eco-sensitive zone and waste rules are made.

   Standard · 9 min · Full course
2. 13.6.2EIA Notification 2006: categories, stages, ToR, EMP and environmental clearance for building projects

   The EIA Notification, 2006 makes prior environmental clearance (EC) compulsory for listed projects, sorts them into Category A (cleared by the Centre) and Category B (cleared by the state authority), and sets four stages: screening, scoping, public consultation and appraisal; large building and township projects fall under item 8 of its Schedule.

   Standard · 8 min · Full course
3. 13.6.3Coastal Regulation Zone Notification 2019: legal basis, CRZ categories and permissible activities

   The CRZ Notification, 2019, issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, zones the coast and tidal water bodies into CRZ-I to CRZ-IV and fixes what may be built in each, through Coastal Zone Management Plans approved by the Centre.

   Standard · 7 min · Full course
4. 13.6.4Eco-sensitive zones and wetlands: zonal master plans, Maharashtra ESZs and Wetland Rules 2017

   Eco-sensitive zones and ecologically sensitive areas are notified under the Environment (Protection) Act to cushion fragile landscapes, and in Maharashtra three of them (Dahanu, Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani, Matheran) are planned through Zonal Master Plans; wetlands are protected separately under the Wetlands Rules, 2017.

   Standard · 9 min · Full course
5. 13.6.5National Green Tribunal Act 2010: jurisdiction, compensation and appeals

   The National Green Tribunal, set up on 18 October 2010, is a specialised court that decides civil cases raising a substantial question relating to environment under seven listed Acts, awards relief and compensation, hears appeals against environmental orders, and is appealable only to the Supreme Court.

   Standard · 7 min · Full course
6. 13.6.6Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 and 2026: duties of urban local bodies

   The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 made every waste generator segregate waste at source and made the urban local body responsible for collection, processing and scientific disposal, with landfill only for inert residue; the SWM Rules, 2026 replaced them from 1 April 2026.

   Standard · 9 min · Full course
7. 13.6.7Environmental principles and landmark cases: polluter pays, precautionary principle and sustainable development

   Indian environmental law rests on a few principles (sustainable development, precaution, polluter pays, absolute liability and public trust) that the Supreme Court drew from international declarations and read into Article 21, and that the NGT must now apply by statute.

   Standard · 8 min · Full course
8. 13.6.8Climate change: UNFCCC, Kyoto, Paris, IPCC and NAPCC

   Climate change is driven by rising greenhouse gases; the world responds through the UNFCCC (1992), the Kyoto Protocol (1997) and the Paris Agreement (2015), guided by IPCC science, while India's own response is the NAPCC (2008), whose Sustainable Habitat mission targets cities.

   Standard · 7 min · Full course
9. 13.6.9Urban environment issues: heat islands, air quality (NCAP), noise standards and green buildings

   Cities face four everyday environmental problems that planning can reduce: urban heat islands, polluted air, noise and energy-hungry buildings; the tools are ambient standards (NAAQS, noise rules), city programmes (NCAP, heat action plans) and building rules (ECBC, green ratings, UDCPR Chapter 13).

   Standard · 10 min · Full course

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