Consider the following statements : The Environment Protection Act, 1986 empowers the Government of India to 1. state the requirement of public participation in the process of environmental protection, and the procedure and manner in which it is sought 2. lay down the standards for emission or discharge of environmental pollutants from various sources Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, 2 only. The Act empowers the Centre to set emission and discharge standards, but it says nothing about public participation.
The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 was passed after the Bhopal gas tragedy as an umbrella law under Article 253, to give effect to the decisions of the 1972 Stockholm Conference. Section 3 lets the Central Government take all measures it thinks necessary to protect and improve the environment, including laying down standards for the quality of the environment and for the emission or discharge of pollutants from various sources, restricting industries in certain areas and laying down safeguards for handling hazardous substances. Public participation came later through the Environmental Impact Assessment notifications of 1994 and 2006, which brought in public hearings, not through the Act itself.
A is wrong because the Act has no provision on public participation. C is wrong because statement 1 is false. D is wrong because statement 2 is true.
Exam tip: EPA 1986: umbrella law under Article 253, Section 3 sets pollution standards.
Practice Questions
View allWhich of the following is/are renewable source(s) of energy? 1. Fossil fuel 2. Biofuel 3. Uranium 4. Hydropower Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- A.2 only
- B.3 and 4
- C.1 and 3
- D.2 and 4
Show answer
Biofuel and hydropower are renewable because nature replaces them within a human lifetime, while fossil fuels and uranium are not.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following is NOT decomposed by bacterial action ?
- A.Vegetable remains
- B.Plastic materials
- C.Animal carcasses
- D.Wastes of flowers
Show answer
Ordinary plastics are non-biodegradable, so bacteria and fungi cannot break them down in any useful length of time. Most plastics, such as polyethylene, polypropylene and PVC, are long synthetic polymers made from petroleum.
Read the full explanation →According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which one of the following is the largest source of sulphur dioxide emissions?
- A.Locomotives using fossil fuels
- B.Ships using fossil fuels
- C.Extraction of metals from ores
- D.Power plants using fossil fuels
Show answer
The EPA names the burning of fossil fuels by power plants and other industrial facilities as the largest source of sulphur dioxide.
Read the full explanation →Free swimming macroscopic animals in an aquatic environment are referred to as
- A.Plankton
- B.Periphyton
- C.Benthos
- D.Nekton
Show answer
Nekton are animals large enough to be seen with the naked eye that swim actively and can move against water currents.
Read the full explanation →Artificial way of causing rainfall to reduce air pollution makes use of
- A.silver iodide and potassium iodide
- B.silver nitrate and potassium iodide
- C.silver iodide and potassium nitrate
- D.silver nitrate and potassium chloride
Show answer
These salts are the usual seeding agents in cloud seeding, the artificial way to make rain. Cloud seeding sprays tiny particles into clouds that already hold moisture, from aircraft, rockets or ground generators.
Read the full explanation →