Environmental degradation and pollution
What degradation and pollution mean, and how the 1986, 1974 and 1981 Acts define pollution
Scope: The meaning of degradation and pollution and the statutory definitions. Kinds, causes and effects are covered in the note on kinds, causes and effects of pollution.
In one minute
Environmental degradation is the overall decline in the quality of the environment. Pollution is one main way it happens: harmful substances enter the environment and cause harm.
Indian statutes define pollution in their own words. Exams ask for the two meanings, the difference between them and the statutory definitions.
Exam focus
- Frequency: Rarely asked
- Usually asked as: Long answer (10 to 15 marks)
Legal provision
The texts below are checked against the Bare Act pages on this site.
- Section 2(b), Environment (Protection) Act, 1986: an "environmental pollutant" is any solid, liquid or gaseous substance present in such concentration as may be, or tend to be, injurious to environment.
- Section 2(c), Environment (Protection) Act, 1986: "environmental pollution" is the presence in the environment of any environmental pollutant.
- Section 2(e), Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974: water "pollution" is such contamination of water, or alteration of its physical, chemical or biological properties, or discharge of sewage, trade effluent or any other liquid, gaseous or solid substance into water, as may or is likely to create a nuisance or make the water harmful to public health or safety, to its legitimate uses, or to the life and health of animals, plants or aquatic organisms.
- Section 2(a) and (b), Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981: an "air pollutant" is any solid, liquid or gaseous substance (including noise) present in the atmosphere in such concentration as may be or tend to be injurious to human beings, other living creatures, plants, property or environment. "Air pollution" is the presence in the atmosphere of any air pollutant.
Meaning and definition
Environmental degradation is the decline in the quality of the environment through loss of resources, destruction of ecosystems and loss of biodiversity. It is the wider process.
Pollution is the introduction of harmful substances into the environment, resulting in harm to living things and ecosystems. It happens when these substances build up beyond what the environment can absorb or make harmless.
Detailed explanation
Step 1: pollution in the 1986 Act
The Act works through two linked ideas. A pollutant is a substance in a harmful concentration. Pollution is the presence of such a pollutant in the environment. The harm test is built into the word "concentration": the same substance may be harmless in a small amount.
Example. A small quantity of salt in a river is harmless. A factory that discharges so much salty waste that fish die has created a pollutant in harmful concentration.
Step 2: pollution in the Water Act
The Water Act, 1974 defines pollution of water more widely. It covers contamination, change in properties and the discharge of sewage, trade effluent or other substances, where the result is likely to create a nuisance or make the water harmful. The words "or is likely to" mean that actual harm need not have happened yet.
Step 3: pollution in the Air Act
The Air Act, 1981 defines an air pollutant and air pollution. Noise is included in "air pollutant". This is why noise can be regulated under the Air Act as well as under other rules.
Step 4: degradation as the larger result
Degradation covers more than pollution. Cutting forests, draining wetlands and overusing groundwater also degrade the environment, even where no pollutant is discharged. Pollution is often the cause that sets the process going.
Example. A pharmaceutical plant near Hyderabad discharges untreated waste into a lake. Fish die, the lakeside wells turn salty, and the fields around become less fertile. The discharge is pollution. The wider decline of the lake and its surroundings is degradation.
Step 5: why the definitions matter
The statutes act only where the legal definition is met. A Pollution Control Board can act against pollution as defined. So the first step in any case is to check whether the act fits the definition in the right Act.
Don't confuse: degradation and pollution
| Point | Degradation | Pollution |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Broad: any decline in quality | Narrower: harmful substances in the environment |
| Includes | Resource loss, deforestation, biodiversity loss, pollution | Contamination of air, water, soil; noise; heat |
| Relationship | The overall result | One major cause |
Inside the concept. Slow loss of a hill's forest cover through illegal felling, with no pollutant discharged, is degradation.
Just outside it. An oil spill on a beach that coats the sand and kills birds is pollution, and it also leads to degradation of that beach.
Common mistakes
- Using degradation and pollution as the same word.
- Forgetting that "environmental pollutant" in the 1986 Act depends on concentration.
- Quoting the Water Act definition for air or the Air Act definition for water.
- Leaving out noise from the Air Act definition.
Apply it
Problem
A tannery near Ranipet discharges untreated liquid waste into a canal. Farmers say their wells are spoilt. The owner says no one has fallen ill, so there is no pollution.
Issue. Is actual harm needed for pollution under the Water Act?
Rule. Under section 2(e) of the Water Act, 1974, a discharge is pollution if it may, or is likely to, create a nuisance. It is also pollution if it makes the water harmful to health or to legitimate uses.
Application. The waste in the canal makes the well water unfit for farm use. The words "likely to" cover this, and no illness need be proved.
Conclusion. The discharge is pollution, and the Pollution Control Board can act.
Leading case laws
- Indian Council for Enviro-Legal Action v. Union of India (1996)
Facts. Chemical plants in Bichhri left about 2,440 tonnes of toxic sludge and waste water that polluted wells and soil.
Principle. The Court applied the polluter pays principle and directed the Central Government to recover the cost of remedial measures from the plants.
Why it matters. It shows pollution leading to wider degradation of land and water, and who pays for repair.
- Municipal Council, Ratlam v. Vardhichand (1980)
Facts. In Ratlam, drains were open and incomplete and an alcohol plant discharged foul liquid.
Principle. Section 133 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is a mandatory duty on the Magistrate, and financial inability is no defence for the Municipality.
Why it matters. It shows that a body cannot plead lack of money to avoid ending a public health hazard.
How to write this answer in the exam
5-mark answer
- Meaning of degradation and pollution.
- Section 2(b) and (c), 1986 Act.
- Difference between the two.
10-mark answer
- Meaning of degradation and pollution.
- Definitions in the 1986, 1974 and 1981 Acts.
- The "concentration" and "likely to" tests.
- Relationship: pollution as a cause of degradation.
- One case: Indian Council for Enviro-Legal Action.
- Conclusion.
Key points to remember
- Degradation: overall decline in environmental quality.
- Pollution: harmful substances in the environment beyond its capacity to absorb.
- 1986 Act: pollutant (section 2(b)), pollution (section 2(c)).
- Water Act section 2(e): contamination likely to harm water or its uses.
- Air Act section 2(a): air pollutant includes noise.
Quick self-test
1. Which is broader, degradation or pollution?
Degradation. Pollution is one cause of it.
2. Does the Air Act definition of air pollutant include noise?
Yes. Section 2(a) says "including noise".
3. Under the Water Act, must actual harm have happened?
No. The definition covers discharge that is "likely to" create a nuisance or harm.