Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) - Overview
Driven by the vision to support economic growth with efficient environmental management for improved life quality, the APPCB plays a crucial role in environmental protection. The Board is entrusted to issue APPCB CTE/CTO in this direction. Also, it works relentlessly to implement environmental laws, policies, and regulations efficiently. AP Pollution Control Board also develops frameworks to manage the state's wastes and natural resources. The Board has a state-wide presence with its Head Office (HO) at Vijayawada and 3 Zonal and 13 Regional Offices (RO) across AP. Each Zonal lab performs continuous monitoring of the air and water quality. The Board also has five labs at the RO level.
Notably, the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board is entrusted to perform its functions under the norms of the following Pollution Control Rules, Acts and Amendments issued there under.
Over these years, HP State Pollution Control Board has been continuously expanding its activities to fulfil the demands of emerging ecological challenges, concerns and new statutes. The principal activities undertaken by the board consist of pollution prevention and control and environmental protection in the framework of following legislation.
General activities of the APPCB
- Monitoring of 17 categories of highly polluting industries;
- Inventorisation of polluting industries in Andhra Pradesh and guaranteeing their compliance with the pollution control norms;
- Pollution control from industries discharging wastewater into lakes and rivers;
- APPCB monitors ambient air and water quality in the state;
- Issuance of various environmental permits, such as -
- Consent to Operate (CTO)
- Consent to Establish (CTE)
- Authorisation for hazardous waste management (HWM)
- Authorisation for municipal solid waste management (MSWM)
- Authorisation for biomedical waste management (BWM)
- Management of hazardous, biomedical, municipal and plastic waste;
- Management and monitoring of environmental quality in critically polluted areas;
- Permission for storage and import of hazardous chemicals;
- Registration of units under PWM;
- Dissemination and production of info concerning environmental quality via regular surveillance and monitoring;
- Imparting training on the environment;
- Performing research and development (R&D) activities on environmental matters;
- Promoting and encouraging environmental research by institutions and academicians;
- Addressing public grievances via redressal of environmental problems; and
- Building environmental awareness for the community.
Functions of the APPCB
- To issue SPCB NOC to industries and conduct other activities to comply with stated effluent and emission standards.
- To advise the state government on pollution issues and industries' siting.
- To plan a programme for pollution control.
- To conduct an inspection.
- To disseminate and collect information.
- To frame emission and effluent standards.
Types of APPCB consent certificates
There are three types of APPCB consent certificates issued under the norms of the Water and Air (P & CP) Acts -
I. Consent to Establish (CTE)
All the activities and industries needing APPCB consent must obtain CTE before the actual commencement of the work for setting up the activity/industry.
II. Consent to Operate (CTO)
This APPCB consent must be obtained before the actual commencement of production, including trial production. This consent is valid for a specific time.
III. Renewal of Consent to Operate (RCTO)
The APPCB CTO is renewed after a specific time.
The process to apply for APPPCB clearance certificates
- Visit the home page after registering on the APPCB's Online Consent Management & Monitoring System (OCMMS).
- On the home page, select "industrial login". Enter the user id & password with the captcha code and click login.
- Then it will ask to change the password. Enter the old password & create a new password and save it.
- Then update it and log in again.
- Select the industrial login. Enter the User Id & password.
- The home page opens up.
- Here users can apply for their APPCB consent certificate application by clicking "apply for consent".
Frequently Asked Questions
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1. What is AP Pollution Control Board’s Motto?
Their motto is Clean Air, Clean Water, Clean Soil.
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2. What is APPCB’s Vision?
APPCB intends to strike a balance between environmental conservation, economic development and promotion of equity (3Es) where the balance is encapsulation in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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3. What is the mission of the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board?
To enable and achieve the target of relevant Sustainable Development Goals (Goal # 6, 11 & 12) to offer clean air, water and land for the people of Andhra Pradesh. To accomplish the mission, the APPCB does the following –
- Grant APPCB consent certificates.
- Prepare Water and Air pollution mitigation and cessation plans - Prepare comprehensive programs to control, prevent and reduce water and air pollution in Andhra Pradesh.
- Implement and set standards for clean water and effluents - Modify, formulate, or set aside effluent standards for trade effluents and sewage and for the quality of receiving waters and classify waters of Andhra Pradesh.
- Play an Advisory role - Advise the respective state government related to the control, prevention, or reduction of water and air pollution, including advising the respective state government about the location of any industry which may cause air and water pollution.
- Publish information and teach people about the environment - To collect and pass on information about air and water pollution and its control, prevention, or reduction.
- Develop Partnerships- Build cost-effective and reliable methods for treating trade effluents and sewage for their utilisation in agriculture and disposal on land.
- Study environmental issues - To direct, motivate and partake in investigations and research on water pollution problems.
- Teach people about the environment - To collaborate with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to train the individuals engaged or to be involved in programs concerning control, elimination and subsiding of air and water pollution and to organise mass education programs there too.
- Use digital technology - To go to the next level in inspecting trade effluents/sewage, works and plants to treat sewage and trade effluents.