The construction industry is receiving increasing attention for how it negatively affects the environment in modern times. As the importance of sustainability in building projects is growing, construction companies must prioritise environmental compliance to follow the laws, meet green building standards, and help make the world healthier. In this blog, Brick & Bolt looks into all the aspects of environmental compliance in construction, including its importance and some vital environmental laws relating to construction activities. Continue reading to learn more.
What is Environmental Compliance in Construction?
When it comes to building, environmental compliance means following the rules, standards, and guidelines that are meant to minimise the damage to the environment during a construction project. It includes a lot of different actions and practices that are meant to protect ecosystems, natural resources, and communities that are touched by building activities. In India, many environmental laws have been set up by central, state and local government agencies and these must be followed to ensure environmental compliance in construction projects.
Importance of Environmental Compliance in Construction
Ensuring Legal Compliance with Environmental Protection Laws
Building projects must follow environmental rules and the law. Governments worldwide have put in place strict environmental laws to protect natural resources, reduce pollution, and preserve wildlife. These rules include getting permits, conducting environmental impact assessments, and following zoning laws. If you don’t follow the law, you could face fines, project delays, and other legal problems that hinder your project’s development and progress. Environmental clearance procedures are vital for ensuring legal compliance in India.
Reducing the Environmental Impact of Construction
Construction work can greatly affect the environment by destroying habitats and polluting air and water. Environmental compliance measures try to lower these effects by encouraging people to use sustainable construction methods, handle waste properly, and protect natural resources. Construction projects can lower the damage to ecosystems by preventing erosion, disturbing the natural resources as little as possible, and using eco-friendly building materials.
Promoting Sustainable Growth
At its core, environmental compliance in buildings is about promoting sustainable building practices. Building projects can meet today’s needs without making it harder for future generations to meet their own if they use sustainability principles in their design, planning, and delivery. Sustainable building practices, like getting green building certifications and using alternative energy sources, protect the environment and help the economy and society in the long run.
Enhancing Corporate Responsibility
Environmental compliance is increasingly seen as a sign of business responsibility. When construction companies put environmental responsibility first, they show that they care about sustainability, openness, and accountability. This can improve the reputation of a business, bring in customers and investors who care about the environment, and set companies apart in a crowded market. Environmental compliance and sustainability are not only mandatory for legal compliance, but also act as smart business moves to promote growth.
Promoting Efficiency and Innovative Ideas
Sustainability compliance in buildings requires new ideas and better resource use. Adopting environmentally friendly building methods can spark imagination and create new technologies, materials, and building methods that lead to the construction of net zero energy buildings. By making the best use of resources, producing as little waste as possible, and using less energy, building projects can save money, get better results, and become more competitive in the market.
Important Environmental Laws for Construction
Environmental laws and sustainable development are interdependent aspects of construction. The Environmental Protection Act of 1980 provides a legal framework which safeguards the interests of the environment and law in India. Violators of this act can face up to 5 years in prison and/or fines up to ₹5 lakhs. This act is an umbrella framework which consists of many smaller laws, the important ones of which are described below.
Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act
The Air Act and Water Act are implemented by the Central and State Pollution Control Boards. Permissions and approvals have to be obtained from these authorities for large construction activities that may result in harmful emissions into the surrounding air and water. These approvals ensure water and air compliance in a project, allowing its further development.
Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)
This act regulates environmental compliance in construction activities in areas close to coastlines, which are divided into different categories:
- CRZ I: Includes ecologically sensitive areas like mangroves and coral reefs, where no construction is permitted.
- CRZ II: Includes areas which are already developed up to the coastline and are under municipal limits. Only certain types of construction are allowed here.
- CRZ III: These are undisturbed coastal areas which do not fall under the other two categories. Here, no construction is allowed up to 200m from the tide line. Between 200-500m from the tide line, construction for housing and tourism is allowed.
Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016
This Act applies to all the waste—such as waste construction materials, building debris and trash—generated from construction activities. Each waste generator must separate the waste before delivering it to approved processing firms or depositing it at a collection location. If more than 20 tonnes/day or 300 tonnes/month of waste are expected to be produced, these large projects must submit waste management plans and obtain approvals from the relevant authorities before beginning the project.
Forest Conservation Act (Forest Act), 1980
This Act prevents the misuse of areas that are classified as ‘forests’ by the Central government. The specified land use in such areas cannot be changed to allow any construction activities and strictly prohibits deforestation, unless approval is provided by the Central government. By safeguarding wildlife and natural resources, this act ensures sustainable development in environmental law.
Environmental Impact Assessment Act (EIA)
In India, many building and construction projects—such as petrol refineries, nuclear factories, river valley projects or any projects that exceed 20,000 sqm in area—need to comply with the Environmental Impact Assessment Act. These projects must obtain an Environmental Clearance (EC) before beginning construction activities. An environmental compliance audit is generally conducted by Impact Assessment agencies to determine the necessity for this clearance.
Ensuring Environmental Compliance in Construction Projects
To sum up, environmental compliance in construction is not only required by law but is also the right thing to do for the building industry. By using environmentally friendly methods, following the law, and putting environmental responsibility first, building companies can reduce their environmental impact and help make the future more sustainable. Leading construction companies like Brick & Bolt have multiple years of experience in handling environmental laws and ensuring legal compliance in their projects. To ensure environmental compliance in your residential or commercial construction projects, contact Brick & Bolt today!
Hemali Patel