The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board revises categorisation of sectors based on Range of Pollution Index

The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) has issued an order revising categorization of industrial sectors into RED/ ORANGE/ GREEN/ WHITE based on Range of Pollution Index. This order was issued on 3^rd July 2020. Its aim is to give effect to the directions issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to harmonise the classification of industrial sectors into specified categories.

The categorization is based on the relative pollution potential of the industrial sectors and pollutants likely to be generated based on raw material consumption and manufacturing processes adopted.

The categorization of Industrial Sectors will be based on their Pollution Index Scores follows:

1. RED category- Score of 60 or more (60 existing industries)
2. ORANGE category- Score of 41 – 59 (83 existing industries)
3. GREEN category- Score of 21 – 40 (91 existing industries)
4. WHITE category- Score of 20 or less (192 existing industries)

Furthermore, the CPCB directed all State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) to adopt the categorization for the following industries:

1. Scrapping Centres (For scraps in the form of vehicles, plant, machinery, structural material, railway coaches, wagons, etc.) are categorized in the ORANGE category
2. Used Cooking Oil(UCO) Collection Centres are categorized in the WHITE category
3. Compressed/ refined biogas production from bio-degradable waste is categorized in the ORANGE category
4. Railway stations are categorized into RED, ORANGE or GREEN categories depending on the amount of wastewater generated, air emissions and hazardous waste generated.

Additionally, this order gives effect to CPCB directions for segregation of the list of Non- Industrial Sectors into an independent list. Prior to this direction, these non- industrial sectors were covered under the categorization of industrial sectors.

In these non- industrial sectors, categorization is RED for airports and commercial airstrips, healthcare establishments, etc. The categorization is ORANGE in the case of automobile servicing, new highway construction projects, amongst others and it is GREEN in specified sectors, for instance, the facility of handling, storage and transportation of food grains in bulk.