Integrated Pollution Control introduced under the Environmental Protection Act of 1990 in 1991 focuses on the links between air, water and land pollution control. This new legislation has been a marked shift away from the conventional mode of tackling pollution separately on a medium-by-medium basis such as air pollution, water pollution, land pollution, sound pollution, etc.
Removal of pollution from one medium could result in increased pollution of another environmental medium. In this background the objective is to limit damage to environment as a whole instead of proceeding separately on a medium by medium basis such as air, water and land.
Before the introduction of Integrated Pollution Control emissions and discharges from the major polluters to the three environmental media of land, water and air were regulated by distinct and separate regulatory agencies. However, with the advent of the integrated pollution control regime the different pollution control agencies were combined into a single body, the Environment Agency (EA).
Under the integrated approach the concern is for the conservation and protection of the environment as a whole across the mediums of land, water and air.
There is also an attempt to synchronize land use planning with pollution control regulation.
The accent is on prevention of pollution as opposed to reduction.
