CPCB Notifies Contaminated Sites | 11 Mar 2020

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), there are 128 sites in India contaminated by toxic and hazardous substances.
West Bengal led the list with 27 sites followed by Odisha at 23.

Oil contamination due to leakage of underground oil pipelines of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited in Tamil Nadu.
Pesticide and heavy metal contamination in creeks at Eloor, Kerala.
Chromium contamination at Rania, Ranipet, Tamil Nadu, and Lohianagar, Uttar Pradesh.
Improperly disposed electronic waste lying on the banks of river Ramganga, Moradabad.
Mercury contamination of the soil at Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, and Ganjam, Odisha.

The Central Pollution Control Board

CPCB is a statutory organisation which was constituted in September, 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
It was entrusted with the powers and functions under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
It serves as a field formation and also provides technical services to the Ministry of Environment and Forests of the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
Principal Functions of the CPCB, as spelt out in the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
- to promote cleanliness of streams and wells in different areas of the States by prevention, control and abatement of water pollution.
- to improve the quality of air and to prevent, control or abate air pollution in the country.

Independent organisations have warned that India has a poor track record in dealing with chemical accidents.
According to ToxicsLink, an organisation that deals with hazardous waste disposal, there have been four major chemical accidents recorded, on average, every month between 2016-2019 and several accidents are not duly recorded.
A committee constituted by the NGT in a report on the state of the management of hazardous waste (HW) in India noted that the inventory was not very comprehensive.