Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority
Also called: EPCA · Topic: Geographical Issues: Pollution, Urban Waste, Slums and Land Degradation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) was a body that fought air pollution in Delhi-NCR. The Centre set it up in 1998 under the Environment (Protection) Act 1986, on the orders of the Supreme Court. It acted as the Court's watchdog. It checked whether pollution rules were being followed and suggested new steps. From 2017 it enforced the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), a set of curbs that get stricter as the air gets worse. It was replaced by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), which was first set up by an ordinance in 2020 and then by the CAQM Act, 2021.
Example
In Delhi's winter smog season (November–January), EPCA ordered GRAP measures across NCR as the AQI rose. These included dust control, and in the worst stages, bans on construction and diesel generators. Today, a CAQM sub-committee takes these decisions.
Don't confuse with
- CAQM: it rests on its own law, the CAQM Act, 2021. It covers Delhi and the nearby states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and UP. It now runs GRAP. EPCA no longer exists, so do not name it as the current GRAP enforcer.
- Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB): the national pollution regulator, created under the Water Act 1974. It sets standards for the whole country. EPCA was a body appointed on the Supreme Court's orders and worked only for NCR.