Chapter Overview

Pollution (प्रदूषण) and waste management (अपशिष्ट प्रबंधन) sit where science, law and governance meet. For a Chhattisgarh aspirant they are also local: coal power and fly ash in Korba, sponge iron around Raipur and Raigarh, sewage in the Kharun, geogenic arsenic at Ambagarh Chowki, and, on the positive side, Ambikapur’s women-led waste model that the whole country studies. This chapter gives you the exact facts Prelims tests (pollutants, indices, limits, rules, dates) and the cause–effect–remedy structure Mains rewards.

New rules in force (as of October 2026)

The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 replaced the 2016 Rules from 1 April 2026, with four-stream segregation (wet, dry, sanitary, special care). The Environment (Construction and Demolition) Waste Management Rules, 2025 also took effect on 1 April 2026. Older notes that describe the 2016 Rules as current are out of date.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

Name the major air pollutants, their sources and health effects, and tell classical smog from photochemical smog
Explain the AQI (8 pollutants, 6 categories), the NAAQS (12 pollutants), NCAP and GRAP
Use DO, BOD and COD to judge water quality, and explain eutrophication and biomagnification
Pair contaminants with diseases (Minamata, itai-itai, blue baby, fluorosis, arsenicosis)
Describe causes of soil pollution and the difference between bioremediation and phytoremediation
Quote the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 limits and loudspeaker rules
Explain the SWM Rules, 2026 and the separate rules for plastic, e-waste, batteries, bio-medical and C&D waste
Write a Mains answer on pollution or waste with a Chhattisgarh example (Korba, Kharun, Ambagarh Chowki, Ambikapur)

Prerequisites

Ecology and Environment — ecosystems, food chains and the main environmental laws in outline
Chemistry in Everyday Life — oxides, acids and combustion
Light and Sound — the decibel scale behind noise limits

Learning Path

Follow the topics in this order:

graph TD
    A["1. Air Pollution
pollutants, smog, acid rain,
AQI, NAAQS, NCAP"] --> B["2. Water Pollution
DO, BOD, COD, eutrophication,
heavy metals, Water Act"]
    B --> C["3. Soil and Noise Pollution
agrochemicals, remediation,
decibels, Noise Rules 2000"]
    C --> D["4. Solid Waste Management
SWM Rules 2026, other waste rules,
Ambikapur model"]
    D --> E["5. Quick Revision
One-page sheet"]

Topics in This Chapter

#	Topic	What it covers
1	Air Pollution	PM2.5 and PM10, SO₂, NOₓ, CO, ozone; classical vs photochemical smog; acid rain; indoor air; NAAQS 2009, AQI, Air Act 1981, BS-VI, NCAP, GRAP; Chhattisgarh’s NCAP cities
2	Water Pollution	Sources; DO, BOD, COD; eutrophication; biomagnification; contaminant–disease pairs; sewage treatment; Water Act 1974; Chhattisgarh’s polluted rivers and Ambagarh Chowki arsenic
3	Soil and Noise Pollution	Fertilisers, pesticides, mining, fly ash; bioremediation and phytoremediation; decibels; Noise Rules 2000; In re: Noise Pollution (2005)
4	Solid Waste Management	Waste types and their rules; SWM Rules 2026; waste hierarchy; processing methods; plastic, bio-medical and e-waste; Swachh Bharat; the Ambikapur SLRM model
—	Quick Revision	Every limit, rule, date and disease pair on one page

Where It Is Asked

Paper	What to expect
Prelims P-I (Part 1, India GS)	Fact-based MCQs: AQI categories and pollutants, smog types, BOD and DO, contaminant–disease pairs, noise limits, bio-medical colour codes, which rule covers which waste, carry-bag thickness, recent rules (SWM 2026). Statement-based and match-the-following formats are common
Mains P-IV (GS-II), Applied Science / Environment	Short answers (eutrophication, biomagnification, RDF, phytoremediation) and longer answers on urban air pollution, river pollution, noise as a health issue, and solid waste management with models such as Ambikapur

Exam focus

High-yield: AQI (8 pollutants, 6 bands); NAAQS (12 pollutants); CPCB created under the Water Act 1974; BOD up = DO down; Minamata–mercury, itai-itai–cadmium, blue baby–nitrate; noise limits 75/65/55/50; SWM Rules 2026 four streams.
Common mistakes: saying the Air Act created the CPCB; treating the SWM Rules 2016 as current; putting needles in the red bag; thinking photochemical smog is reducing.
Chhattisgarh angle for Mains: Korba (fly ash, NCAP), sponge iron in Raipur and Raigarh, Kharun and Kelo pollution, Ambagarh Chowki arsenic, Ambikapur’s SLRM model and the state’s Swachh Survekshan record.

Quick Reference: Laws and Rules at a Glance

Law / rule	Year	Key point
Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act	1974	Created CPCB and SPCBs; Article 252
Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act	1981	Air powers to the same boards; noise added to “air pollutant” in 1987
Environment (Protection) Act	1986	Umbrella law after Bhopal; all waste and noise rules are made under it
Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules	2000	Zone limits; silence zone 100 m; loudspeakers banned 10 p.m.–6 a.m.
NAAQS	2009	12 pollutants
National AQI	2014	8 pollutants, 6 categories
National Clean Air Programme	2019	131 cities; up to 40% PM10 cut by 2025-26
Plastic Waste Management Rules	2016 (amended)	120 µm carry bags; single-use plastic ban 1 July 2022; EPR
Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules	2016 (amended)	Yellow, red, white, blue
E-Waste (Management) Rules	2022	In force 1 April 2023; EPR
Battery Waste Management Rules	2022	EPR for all batteries
C&D Waste Management Rules	2025	In force 1 April 2026
Solid Waste Management Rules	2026	In force 1 April 2026; four-stream segregation

Start Learning

Begin with the first topic:

→ Air Pollution