Does Coal Tar Cause Air Or Water Pollution? Union Environment Ministry Clarifies

New Delhi: The Union Environment Ministry in a notification has clarified that melting of coal tar does not cause pollution of either air or water. The Impact Assessment (IA) division of the ministry said this while referring to a “number of requests” seeking clarification over the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2006 of coal tar pitch melting.

A by-product of coal, the coal tar has both medical and industrial use, mostly in levelling the road.

“The matter was examined in the Ministry and it has been observed that the process of melting of coal tar pitch involves only physical change from solid (granular) form to liquid form and there are no emissions into the air and water,” the Ministry clarified in a letter dated February 27, 2018.

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Through this, the coal tar or related application get exemptions from EIA. However, Ministry also clarified that other clearances under air, water, forest and coastal region acts, regarding any project related to coal tar pitch melting, shall still be sought based on the region.

“In view of the above, it is informed that coal tar pitch melting does not attract the provisions of the EIA Notification 2006 as amended from time to time.

“However, other statutory clearances under Forest (Conservation) Act 1980, the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974, the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981 and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification 2016 may be obtained as applicable as per site conditions,” said Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

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