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Green Tribunal Challenges Pollution Rule Changes
3 Oct
Summary
- Industrial pollution rules amended, removing mandatory distance barriers.
- Environmental activist challenges relaxed rules before National Green Tribunal.
- Concerns raised over potential irreversible pollution and health impacts.
Environmental regulations governing industrial pollution have been amended, removing previously mandatory distance barriers for factories. These changes, notified in January 2026, replace rules that required 'red' category industries to stay at least 500 meters from water bodies and settlements, with lesser distances for 'orange' and 'green' units.
Now, instead of fixed distances, location-specific conditions and environmental safeguards will be imposed by committees or state pollution control boards. An environmental activist has filed a plea with the National Green Tribunal, seeking to stay these amendments. The petitioner warns that allowing factories closer to homes, rivers, and floodplains could result in irreversible pollution and hydrological damage.
The plea highlights a real-world example of a tyre pyrolysis unit operating on a floodplain, which is also under separate challenge. Concerns also extend to changes in operating licenses, which are now valid until cancelled, and the introduction of self-certification for some units, potentially reducing regulatory scrutiny.
The National Green Tribunal has accepted the delayed challenge due to the matter's grave importance. The petition was filed on September 26, 2026, and registered on October 1, 2026, bringing the contested changes under judicial review.
