Environment and Disaster Management › Pollution
हिन्दी — Read in HindiChemicals, noise, light and soil pollution
Pollution that is not air, water or waste: pesticides, the ozone layer, light and contaminated soil. Environmental pollution is part of the GS3 syllabus.
Foundation note: The four chemicals conventions, and India's noise limits
Lead and toxic sites near schools
Copy link to Lead and toxic sites near schoolsPrelims and Mains
Lead is a neurotoxin that lowers IQ and attention in children, and in Indian cities much of the exposure comes from informal recycling of lead batteries near where children live and study.
What changed
29 Jul 2026BriefA Center for Global Development report mapped schools against documented toxic sites in 17 countries. Over 90 per cent of New Delhi's private schools lie within 5 km of one, the highest of any capital. The Hindu, 29 Jul 2026: Urban Indian private schools at risk of proximity to toxic lead sites: report (opens in a new tab)
Ammonia and industrial transient operations
Copy link to Ammonia and industrial transient operationsPrelims and Mains
Ammonia is a colourless, pungent gas used in fertilisers, dyes and refrigeration.
- In tissue it forms ammonium hydroxide, a corrosive alkali that burns airways, eyes and skin, and there is no antidote.
- Plants spend over 90 per cent of their time in steady state, yet nearly half of process safety incidents occur at start up or shutdown.
- The causes include thermal stress, runaway reactions, corrosion in dead legs and oxygen ingress.
- The laws that apply are the Factories Act, 1948, the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules, 1989 under the Environment (Protection) Act, and the Boilers Act, 1923.
What changed
22 Jun 2026New
- Ammonia used as a refrigerant leaked from a seafood plant in Tiruvallur, killing eight.
- The unit had not fixed a missing alarm and fire hydrant flagged by the industrial safety directorate.
- Tamil Nadu will inspect all its hazardous industries.
Mains: the rules exist; what is missing is enforcement, such as ammonia sensors and water curtains linked to alarms.
The Hindu, 22 Jun 2026: What is ammonia poisoning? | Explained (opens in a new tab) · The Hindu, 23 Jun 2026: Deadly fumes: On the ammonia gas leak tragedy in Tamil Nadu (opens in a new tab) · The Hindu, 23 Jun 2026: An industrial risk the Qatar blast shares with accidents in India | Explained (opens in a new tab)