Full Text
REGD. No. D. L.-33004/99
The Gazette of India
CG-DL-E-27032025-261984
EXTRAORDINARY
PART II-Section 3-Sub-section (i)
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY
No. 159]
NEW DELHI, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2025/ CHAITRA 5, 1947
2043 GI/2025
Ved Prakash Mishra, Jt. Secy.
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the 26th March, 2025
G.S.R. 194(E).—In exercise of the powers conferred by sections 6 and 25 of the Environment (Protection)
Act, 1986 (29 of 1986), the Central Government hereby makes the following rules further to amend the Environment
(Protection) Rules, 1986, namely :—
1. (1) These rules may be called the Environment (Protection) Second Amendment Rules, 2025.
(2) They shall come into force on the expiry of a period of one year from the date of their publication in the
Official Gazette.
2. In the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986, —
(a) in Schedule-I,
(i) for serial number 1 and the entries relating thereto, the following serial number and the entries shall be substituted,
namely :—
+-----+----------------+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| S. No. | Industry | Standards |
| 1 | 2 | 4 |
+=====+================+========================================================================+
| "1. | Caustic Soda | A: Effluent Standards |
| | | Limiting value for concentration (in mg/l except |
| | | for pH, Bioassay and water consumption) |
+-----+----------------+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| | Bioassay test* | 90% Survival of fish after first 96 |
| | | hours in 100% effluent |
+-----+----------------+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| | pH | 6.5-8.5 |
+-----+----------------+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| | Chloride$ | 250 |
+-----+----------------+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| | Total suspended solids | 100 |
+-----+----------------+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| | Total dissolved solids | 2100# |
+-----+----------------+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| | Oil and grease | 5 |
+-----+----------------+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| | Residual free chlorine | 0.5 |
+-----+----------------+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| | Sulphates | 200 |
+-----+----------------+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| | Maximum | quantity of water 5 m³ per ton of caustic soda production |
| | consumption | |
+-----+----------------+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Note:
1. These standards shall apply to caustic soda standalone plants based on membrane cell technology and produces Hydrochloric acid, Hydrogen, Chlorine and Hypo and shall apply only to the final discharge of wastewater to inland surface water bodies and land for irrigation and not for deep sea disposal.
2. These effluent standards shall apply to all discharge of wastewater to land and surface water bodies including use of treated wastewater for horticulture or irrigation purpose and shall not apply to industry discharging wastewater to common effluent treatment plant.
* The Bioassay test shall be conducted as per IS: 6582-1971standards prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards.
$ The standards for chloride and sulphate shall come into force after two years from the date of the commencement of the Environment (Protection) Second Amendment Rules, 2025 for the old plants.
# The built up total dissolved solids in wastewater shall not exceed 1000 mg/l over and above the total dissolved solids of raw water, provided maximum value of 3100 mg/l is not exceeded in the treated effluent and the sodium absorption ratio should not be more than 26.
+------------+---------------------------------------+
| Parameter | B: Standards for fugitive emission |
| | (Locations: Cell house and |
| | Near HCl tower) |
+------------+---------------------------------------+
| | Standards (µg/m³) |
+============+=======================================+
| Chlorine | 7 |
+------------+---------------------------------------+
| Hydrochloric acid | 10 |
+------------+---------------------------------------+
Every industries shall adopt emission standards prescribed under the Factories Act, 1948 (63 of 1948) relating to chlorine and Hydrochloric acid for two years from the date of the commencement of the Environment (Protection) Second Amendment Rules, 2025 and thereafter for fugitive emission under this entry shall apply.
+---------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Parameter | C: Standards for process emission |
| | (Location: Hypo stack) |
+---------------------+-----------------------------------+
| | Standards (mg/Nm³) |
+=====================+===================================+
| Chlorine | 5 |
+---------------------+-----------------------------------+
| | (Location: HCl stack) |
+---------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Chlorine | 5 |
+---------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Hydrochloric acid | 10@ |
+---------------------+-----------------------------------+
@10 mg/Nm³ standard for Hydrochloric acid emission shall apply for two years from the date of the commencement of the Environment (Protection) Second Amendment Rules, 2025 and thereafter 5 mg/Nm³ standard shall apply.".
(ii) serial number 28 and the entries relating thereto shall be omitted.
(b) in Schedule VI,
(i) in Part B "Wastewater Generation Standards", for serial number 5 and the entries relating thereto, the following serial number and the entries shall be substituted, namely :—
+--------+--------------------------+---------+
| S. No. | Industry | Quantum |
| (1) | (2) | (3) |
+========+==========================+=========+
| "5 | Caustic Soda | 1 m³ per ton of caustic soda production |
+--------+--------------------------+---------+
| | Maximum quantity of waste water generation** | |
+--------+--------------------------+---------+
| | ** Cooling tower blow down is excluded in the waste water generation.” | |
+--------+--------------------------+---------+
(ii) in Part C "Load based Standards", after serial number 3 and the entries relating thereto, the following serial number and entries shall be inserted, namely :—
"4. Caustic Soda-
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| Parameters | Standard: Quantum limit in Kg/tonne of Caustic Soda |
| 1 | produced |
| | 2 |
+========================+=============================================+
| Chloride$ | 0.25 |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| Total suspended solids | 0.1 |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| Total dissolved solids | 2.1 |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| Oil and grease | 0.005 |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| Residual free chlorine | 0.0005 |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| Sulphates | 0.2 |
+------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
Note. These standards shall apply to caustic soda standalone plants based on membrane cell technology and produces Hydrochloric acid, Hydrogen, Chlorine and Hypo and shall apply only to the final discharge of wastewater to inland surface water bodies and land for irrigation and not for deep sea disposal.
$ The standards for chloride and sulphate shall come into force two years from the date of the commencement of the Environment (Protection) Second Amendment Rules, 2025 for the old plants.".
[F. No. Q-15017/3/2023-CPW]
Ved Prakash Mishra, Jt. Secy.