Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) - Overview

The Tamil Nadu Prevention and Control (P&C) of Water Pollution Board was established by the Government of TN in pursuance of the Water (P&CP) Act, 1974 (Central Act 6 of 1974). It was later renamed Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) in 1983. Besides the Acts stated above, the Board enforces the norms of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA), 1986 and the rules made under these Acts. The Board, therefore, issues TNPCB NOC to the state's commercial activities, industries or projects.

TNPCB operates with its 38 District Offices (DO), eight Zonal Offices (ZO) and Head Office (HO) in Chennai. The Chairman leads the Board office, the Joint Chief Environmental Engineers lead the ZO, District Environmental Engineers lead the DO, and Assistant Environmental Engineers lead the 3 AEE offices. Five flying squads also function at Erode, Chennai, Salem, Vellore and Tiruppur. The Environmental Engineers lead these squads. To assist in the Scientific and Analytical side, the Board has set up eight Districts and eight Advanced Environmental Labs.

TNPCB is implementing the Pollution Control Legislations, Notifications and Rules framed therein. In discharging the duties endowed to it, the Board collects, examines and disseminates info concerning air, water and land pollution, and sets standards for trade effluent/sewage and emissions.

To grant TNPCB consent certificates, the following process is followed. The field officers of the Board examine every industry under their jurisdiction periodically to assess the adequacy of treatment measures given to treat the gaseous and effluent emission.

TNPCB takes legal actions, issues show cause notices and instructs for the stoppage, closure of power and water supply etc., against erring agencies/industries for non-compliance with pollution control legislations, standards and conditions.

TNPCB has entitled the power to the field officers for close examination. The District Environmental Engineers/Joint Chief Environmental Engineer are entrusted to renew/issue TNPCB consent certificates to green, orange, and red small-category industries. They are also assigned to issue show-cause notices to all industries.

The State Board plays a catalytic role in implementing Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) for small-scale units such as textile dyeing units, tanneries, etc., situated in clusters. TNPCB is following the practical steps for the safe disposal of hazardous waste. The Board has completed the inventory of hazardous waste-producing units and identified locations for hazardous waste disposal.

Additionally, the State Board creates environmental awareness in Tamil Nadu via the Environmental Awareness Cell, Environmental Training Institute, Environmental Awareness Programme, etc.

State Pollution Control Board, Odisha Consent to Establish (CTE)

As per norms of the Water (P&CP) Act, 1974 and Air (P&CP) Act, 1981, all new proposing projects (Developmental and Industrial) must obtain "Consent to Establish (CTE)" (popularly termed as SPCB NOC ) from the Board. SPCB-O CTE is obtained by applying to Board with specified fees, necessary documents, and information via online services.

Industry categorisation

The industries are categorised as Orange, Red, Green and White depending upon the pollution and hazard capacity of industrial activities. The industrial projects are further classified into Category A, B and C, depending on the investment and pollution capacity.

List of attachments to be enclosed by the proponents along with the TNPCB Consent Certificates applications under Water and Air Acts (green site/expansion)

A. GENERAL

1. A cover letter in duplicate stating the industry activities.
2. Copy of Lease/Sale Deed or any other relevant documents as proof to guarantee possession of the factory/site for which the application is made.
3. Copy of Memorandum of Articles (MoA) in case of Private/Public sectors or registered partnership deed in case of partnership company.
4. Layout plan representing the site of several process equipment, utilities such as generator, boiler, etc., outlet location, effluent treatment plant, non-hazardous and hazardous waste storage yard.
5. Detailed manufacturing process for each product along with detailed process flow chart.
6. Details of Material and Water balance for each product and process.
7. Top sketch representing the distance of roads, water bodies, existing/proposed residential areas, important religious locations, agricultural lands, educational institutions, ancient monuments, archaeological places and other sensitive areas for 1 km from the units. (Preferably Map drawn to scale).
8. Land use classification certificate as obtained from DTCP/CMDA/LPA.
9. Break up info for the Gross Fixed Assets duly certified by an Auditor.
10. Groundwater clearance details (if required)
11. Demand Draft (DD) for TNPCB consent certificates fees.
12. All the documents must be authenticated with the signature of the occupier of the unit.

B: APC/ETP MEASURES (If applicable)

1. In the case of trade effluent generating units, an Effluent Treatment proposal must be enclosed, which must have info including breakup quantity of water requirement with sources and trade effluent, characteristics of wastewater, sources of trade effluent, treatment methodology, design criteria for various units, mode of disposal, detailed drawing of Effluent Treatment Plant and its layout, diagram representing the hydraulic profile and mode of disposal of treated effluent and its adequacy.

2. In case of any emission from the process, an Air pollution control measures proposal must be attached, which must have the info concerning sources of emission, fuels used, characteristics, concentration and quality of pollutant, adequacy of Air Pollution Control measures and stack, a proposal along with design criteria and drawing for the proposed APC measures, odour causing operations and its particular odour control measures.

3. In case of noise pollution, info concerning the source along with control measures of noise pollution.

C: NON-HAZARDOUS/HAZARDOUS SOLID WASTE (if applicable)

1. In the case of non-hazardous solid waste production, info related to the source with the exact quantity of solid waste and its method of collection and treatment with the extent earmarked area for its disposal.

2. In case of hazardous solid waste production, info about the source with the exact quantity of hazardous waste and its method of treatment, collection and disposal

D: HANDLING OF HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS (if applicable)

1. If hazardous chemicals used as raw materials, the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) must be attached for every item. If the quantity of the hazardous chemicals managed is greater than the threshold limit, then the unit must provide any one or combination of the following documents as needed under the MSIHC Rules:

Risk assessment report/Off-site emergency preparedness plan/Onsite emergency preparedness plan.

2. In case of transport of hazardous chemicals, info on chemicals transported, method of transport, and safety measures must be enclosed.

E: UNITS ATTRACTING EIA NOTIFICATION, CRZ NOTIFICATION

1. Industries attracting EIA Notification must submit TOR obtained from the SEIAA/MOEF&CC and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report prepared according to the above TOR.

2. The attraction of CRZ Notification (if so, details thereon)

3. Agreement with the Common facility (if applicable)

Instruction for the applicant for filling up the TNPCB consent form

General Instructions

1. Application must be completed in all respects, and enclosures, as listed in the checklist, must be attached. Only complete applications will be accepted.
2. The industry Occupier must sign all the attachments.
3. Applications must be filed only by the occupier of the industry or those authorised by the company to act as industry occupiers.
4. All the info required must be filled up. If the info is irrelevant, it must be mentioned as "Not applicable."
5. Application must be submitted in duplicate.
6. Furnishing incorrect data/information and suppressing information is an offence punishable under the Water the Air (P&CP) Acts, as amended.
7. Wherever the space in the application form is not adequate, provide them as annexures in the requested format.

Item wise instructions

Item no. 1 - Provide the name and address of the applicant. The applicant must be either the unit occupier or a person duly authorised by the Board of Directors in the case of limited companies or authorised by proprietors/partners in the case of proprietorship/partnership concerns. "Occupier" about any factory or premises is the person who has control over the factory or the premises and includes, about any substance, the person in possession of the substance. Enclosed is a copy of the authorisation.

Item No. 2 - Provide the name of the institution/industry/factory etc., under which the business is performed. If the applicant has more than one unit in the same name in Tamil Nadu, a distinction may be made in the name. Ex. Unit I & II, Power Dn., Chemical Dn., etc.

Item No. 3 – Furnish the details of survey numbers in which the industry exists or proposed to be set up, name of the taluk, village and district. Provide all the SF numbers. All SF numbers should match the SF numbers in the land document. Provide it even if you are a lessee. The unit must enclose a copy of all the land documents with the application. If on a lease, provide a lease agreement that states the SF No. and the lease value, along with a copy of the land document.

Item No. 4 – Mention the name of the local body under which the industry is situated or suggested to be situated.

Item No. 5 – Mention as ‘owned’ if the land is owned by the partner/company/proprietor as the case may be. If the land is taken on lease, then mention it as "leased".

1. The built-up area includes areas allocated for roads, buildings, pavements, etc. To convert the built-up area from M2 to hectares, divide it by 10000. (Ex. Built up area 200 M2 is 0.02 Hec).

2. Irrigation area: Area allocated for developing crops using the treated effluent within and outside the premises.

3. Green belt area: Area allocated for gardens, lawns and trees within the premises.

4. Solid waste storage area: Area allocated for temporary storage/permanent disposal of non-hazardous and hazardous wastes.

Item No. 6 - Mention the info on raw materials used and their quantity of consumption. If the space provided in the application is inadequate, furnish them as an annexure in the same format.

Principle use: Please state the purpose for this raw material. Ex. Ammonia: To produce urea, NaOH: For degreasing

Item No.7 - Furnish the info of fuel used in t/day. Under "Point of use", please indicate where it is used example: boiler/ DG set/ furnace, etc. Please enclose a copy of the specification of each fuel as obtained from the supplier.

Item No. 8 - Mention the quantity and name of manufactured by-products/products/intermediate products. The unit of production must be the same as the unit stated in the raw material column. (i.e. if the raw materials are given t/day, then the product unit must also be in t/day). If the space in the application is insufficient, provide them as annexures in the same format. If the unit intends to store/manufacture/handle hazardous chemicals, the unit must provide MSDS for all the chemicals. If the quantity exceeds the threshold limit

prescribed in the MSIHC Rules, please furnish any combination of the following documents depending upon the legal requirement. Risk assessment report/Onsite/Off-site emergency preparedness plan.

Item No.9 - Furnish manufacturing process for all the products. If more than the space provided is needed, provide them as an annexure. Attach a detailed description of the sources of effluent generation, manufacturing process and flow chart for each product, emission and noise generation sources, and material balance and water balance.

Item 10 (a) – Mention the source of water (i.e. open well, river, Tube well, canal, Metro Water, Local body, TWAD Board, SIPCOT, SIDCO, Private etc.). If the unit is located/intended in a critical/semi-critical area as classified by PWD and the water source is groundwater, enclose a copy of groundwater clearance. In other cases, provide a copy of the water drawl/supply approval.

Item No. 10 (b)(i) – Mention the number of industrial cooling purposes, water consumed for boiler feed, and spraying in mine pits.

Item No. 10 (b)(ii) – Mention the quantity of water consumed for domestic purposes (toilet, drinking, canteen, hostel, etc.)

Item No. 10 (b)(iii) – Mention the quantity of water consumed for the process wherein the water gets polluted & the pollutants are easily bio-degradable (Effluent having COD to BOD ratio less than 2)

Item No. 10 (b)(iv) – Mention the quantity of water consumed for the process wherein the water gets polluted & the pollutants are not easily bio-degradable and are toxic

Item No. 11(a) – Mention the maximum daily quantity of trade effluent/sewage produced or intended to be generated (in the case of the proposed unit), the area of land earmarked for disposal if applicable and the method of disposal (on land for green belt development or on Solar Evaporation Pan (SEP) or reused in the process).

a. If the unit seeks to discharge on land for irrigation/gardening, the unit must earmark an adequate area within the premises depending on the hydraulic loading rate of 35 KL/Hect/day.

b. If the unit seeks to discharge through SEP, the unit must furnish a SEP calculated depending on the 4.5 mm/day evaporation rate.

c. If the unit seeks to discharge into the sea or marine coastal area, the exact disposal point must be decided based on the oceanography study conducted by a competent authority and the enclosed report.

d. If the unit seeking in charge of the sewer operation must obtain the necessary permission from the authority in charge of the sewer operation.

e. If the unit seeks to discharge into CETP or in the ETP of the sister concern, provide a consent letter from the CETP/sister concern

f. A detailed technical feasibility report must be submitted if the unit seeks to recycle the treated effluent/sewage.

g. If the unit seeks to recycle the sewage/treated effluent in other places/units, a consent letter from the end user and the technical feasibility report must be submitted. Item No. 11(b) – Mention the sources from which the trade effluent is produced. Item No. 12(a) - Furnish whether the unit has proposed providing or providing individual STP/ETP or whether it is a Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) member. If so, the name of CETP must be provided.

Item No. 12(b) - Furnish the name of treatment units, its dimension, the number of units and the horsepower of electrical equipment. Attach a detailed report incorporating the design, plan, cross-sectional drawings, dimensions and mechanical components.

Item No.13 (a) - Furnish the name of the non-hazardous solid waste (plastic, paper, ash etc.,) quantity of the waste produced (in case of existing industry) and intended to be produced (in case of proposed industry), how it is disposed of (in case of existing industry) or intended to be disposed of (in case of proposed industry), an area earmarked for storage/disposal.

Item No.13 (b) - Furnish the name, category and quantity of hazardous waste produced in the case of existing industry and intended to be generated in the case of proposed industry, method of disposal, and area earmarked for storage/disposal. Note that the unit producing hazardous waste must file a separate application for authorisation under the amended HW (M&H) Rules, 1989.

Item No. 14 - Here, the Gross fixed asset (GFA) means the gross value of the building, land, plant, machinery, and all other fixed assets. The existing unit must substantiate it with a copy of the latest balance sheet or auditor certificate. If the unit is on lease land or building or both, the land and building component of GFA shall be 20 years lease value.

Item No.15 – Mention the construction cost of the sewage treatment/effluent plant and the cost of mechanical equipment.

Item No.16 - Mention the date of commissioning. In case the unit exists, furnish proof for the date of commissioning. In the case of the proposed unit, furnish the probable date of commissioning.

Item No. 17 - Enclose a top sketch showing the roads, habitations, water bodies, reserve forest, state boundary and other prominent features located within 1 km from the boundary of the premises. If the industry is located within 10 km of the state boundary, indicate the distance from the boundary from the unit.

Item No. 18: 1. Indicate the significant water sources like lakes, rivers, canals, etc. Please note that the setting up certain industries is banned up to 1 km from specific water bodies and up to 5 km from certain rivers. Suppose the unit is to be situated just outside these banned areas. In that case, it must be supported by a certificate stating the distance from the water source with latitude and longitude info obtained from a reputed educational institution.

Item No. 19 (a) & (b) - Mention the land use classification as provided by the competent authority. Enclose a copy of the land use certificate obtained from the competent authority (DTCP/CMDA/LPA). If the land is unclassified, attach a certificate obtained from DTCP/CMDA/LPA.

Item No. 20: Indicate the exact distance from the backwaters/seashore. If the unit is within 1 km from the backwaters/seashore, it must obtain a certificate from Anna University stating whether the unit falls within the CRZ area. If the unit falls within the CRZ area and is a permitted activity, the unit must obtain CRZ clearance from the concerned authorities.

Item No. 21: - Mention the name and address of the Directors in case of limited concern and the name and address of partners in case of partnership firm. Furnish a copy of the MOAA in case of limited concern and a partnership deed in case of the partnership firm.

TNPCB CONSENT FEE

No (1)	Gross Fixed Assets (2)	Amount of TNPCB Consent Fee (in Rs.) (3)
		Red Category	Orange Category	Green Category
1	Up to Rs. 1 lakh	400	300	200
2	Above Rs. 1 lakh & up to Rs. 2 lakhs	700	600	400
3	Above Rs. 2 lakhs & up to Rs. 3 lakhs	900	700	600
4	Above Rs. 3 lakhs and up to Rs. 4 lakhs	1100	1000	800
5	Above Rs. 4 lakhs & up to Rs. 5 lakhs	1300	1100	1000
6	Above Rs. 5 lakhs & up to Rs. 6 lakhs	1700	1500	1200
7	Above Rs. 6 lakhs & up to Rs. 7 lakhs	2000	1700	1400
8	Above Rs. 7 lakhs & up to Rs. 8 lakhs	2200	2000	1600
9	Above Rs. 8 lakhs and up to Rs. 9 lakhs	2400	2100	1800
10	Above Rs. 9 lakhs and up to Rs. 10 lakhs	2600	2400	2000
11	Above Rs. 10 lakhs & up to Rs. 15 lakhs	3700	3100	2500
12	Above Rs. 15 lakhs & up to Rs. 20 lakhs	4400	3600	3000
13	Above Rs. 20 lakhs & up to Rs. 25 lakhs	5000	4200	3500
14	Above Rs. 25 lakhs & up to Rs. 35 lakhs	6000	4900	4100
15	Above Rs. 35 lakhs & up to Rs. 45 lakhs	7400	5600	5100
16	Above Rs. 45 lakhs and up to Rs. 55 lakhs	8900	7400	6100
17	Above Rs. 55 lakhs and up to Rs. 65 lakhs	10400	8400	7100
18	Above Rs. 65 lakhs and up to Rs. 75 lakhs	13100	10500	8100
19	Above Rs. 75 lakhs & up to Rs. 1 crore	16300	12600	10100
20	Above Rs. 1 crore & up to Rs. 5 crore	21800	17900	14200
21	Above Rs. 5 crores & up to Rs. 10 crores	105/- per lakh	65/- per lakh	42/- per lakh
22	Above Rs. 10 crores and up to Rs. 50 crores	105000/- + 40/- per lakh	65000/- + 30/- per lakh	42000/- + 12/- per lakh
23	Above Rs. 50 crores and up to Rs. 100 crores	265000/- + 23/- per lakh	185000/- + 15/- per lakh	90000 + 12/- per lakh
24	Above Rs. 100 crores and up to Rs. 1000 crores	380000/- + 5/- per lakh	260000/- + 4/- per lakh	150000/- + 3/- per lakh
25	Above Rs. 1000 crores	830000/- + 3/- per lakh (Maximum 23 lakh)	620000/- + 2/- per lakh (Maximum 23 lakh)	420000/- + 1/- per lakh (Maximum 8 lakh)

Frequently Asked Questions

• 1. What are the functions of TNPCB?

  The main functions of the TNPCB are as follows -

  • To plan a comprehensive programme for preventing, controlling and reducing water & air pollution.
  • To advise the State Government on any issued concerning the prevention, control or reduction of water & air pollution.
  • To disseminate and collect information about water and air pollution and the prevention, control or abatement.
  • To inspect trade effluent and sewage treatment plants for their effectiveness and review plans and specifications for corrective measures.
  • To inspect manufacturing processes or industrial plants, any control equipment, and to give directions to prevent, control or abatement of air pollution.
  • To inspect air pollution control areas for assessment of air quality and to take steps to prevent, control or abatement of air pollution in such areas.
  • To frame, modify or annul effluent standards for the sewage and trade effluents and the release of air pollutants into the atmosphere from automobiles and industrial plants or the discharge of any air pollutant from any other source.
  • To evolve the best economically viable treatment technology for trade effluents and sewage.
  • To collect samples of trade effluents and sewage & release of air pollutants and to examine the same for specific parameters.
  • To collaborate with Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in organising the training of persons involved or to be involved in programmes relating to prevention, control or reduction of water and air pollution and to organise mass education programmes.
  • To perform such other functions as may be prescribed by the State Government or CPCB.