The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has introduced the Environment (Protection) Sixth Amendment Rules, 2025, which establish a stricter set of environmental standards for the pesticide industry. These new rules are effective from July 22, 2025. The rules substitute the existing standards for the pesticide sector in Schedule-I of the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986, to minimize pollution from industrial operations.
The draft of these rules was initially published on October 17, 2023, and finalized after a thorough review of objections and suggestions received from stakeholders. The amendments outline specific and detailed limits for effluent, air emissions, and incinerator operations, applying to all industries that discharge to land and surface water bodies.
New Effluent Standards
The new rules mandate both compulsory and additional parameters for effluent discharge.
Compulsory Parameters:
- Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD): The new limit is 250 mg/l for technical grade units and 150 mg/l for formulation units.
- Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD): A limit of 30 mg/l is prescribed for both types of units.
- Other mandatory parameters: pH (6.5-8.5), Oil and Grease (10 mg/l), and Suspended Solids (100 mg/l).
- Bioassay Test: A stringent Bioassay Test is now required, mandating a 90% survival rate of fish after 96 hours in 100% effluent, to be carried out as per IS: 6582-1971.
Additional Parameters: A long list of additional parameters, including heavy metals like Cyanide, Arsenic, Copper, Manganese, Mercury, Antimony, Zinc, and Nickel, along with specific pesticide compounds such as DDT, Dimethoate, Endosulfan, and Malathion, will be prescribed on a case-to-case basis depending on the industry’s specific processes and products.
Stricter Emission Standards
The new regulations introduce a comprehensive list of limiting concentrations for various air emissions from pesticide units.
- Key Pollutants: Limits are set for substances like HCl (20 mg/Nm3), Cl2 (5 mg/Nm3), and NH3 (30 mg/Nm3). Pesticide compounds in the form of particulate matter have a limit of 20 mg/Nm3.
- Solvent Loss Cap: In a crucial new mandate, the total cumulative loss of solvent (through gaseous emissions and wastewater) is capped at a maximum of 5% of the solvent on an annual basis from the storage inventory.
Incinerator Standards
The rules also set precise standards for incinerators used for waste disposal in the pesticide industry.
- Emission Limits: Limits for Particulate Matter (50 mg/Nm3), SO2 (200 mg/Nm3), and CO (100 mg/Nm3 daily average) are specified.
- Operating Temperatures: For incinerating halogenated organic waste, the rules mandate specific temperature regimes: a minimum of 1100°C in single-chamber incinerators (for waste less than 1% halogenated content) and 850±25°C in the primary chamber with 1100°C in the secondary combustion chamber for twin-chamber incinerators (for waste with more than 1% halogenated content).
- Chimney Height: A minimum chimney height of thirty meters is now mandatory.
- Residue Management: Incinerator operation must ensure that the Total Organic Carbon (TOC) content in the ash and residue is less than 3%, with re-incineration required in case of non-conformity.
These rules signify a major policy intervention to curb environmental pollution from the pesticide industry, mandating higher standards of treatment and disposal of effluents and emissions.