Environment Related Acts in India

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It’s important for us to conserve our environment and natural resources as they sustain us. But due to developmental and infrastructural needs, more often than not, environmental preservation is neglected in government policies and plans.

But our constitution does have a number of acts in place towards the cause. There are over a dozen laws pertaining to conversation of environment and its many aspects. Let’s have a look at some of the major ones –

INDIAN FOREST ACT, 1927

It came into effect in September, 1927 and consolidates all laws relating to forests and forest produce, plus the taxes levied on them. Moreover, this act gave the Government and Forest Department the authority to create Reserved Forests meant for the Government use alone. The Indian Forest Act precedes and puts the base for the 1980 Forest Conservation Act.

WILDLIFE PROTECTION ACT, 1972

This act was enacted in September, 1972 for the protection of plants and animal species. It was amended in 2002, 2006, 2013 and prohibits the capturing, killing, poisoning or trapping of wild animal and establishes protected areas to provide them a safe habitat. Management of zoos and rules against taxidermy also comes under this act.

WATER (PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF POLLUTION) ACT, 1974

Introduced in March, 1974, this is an act to provide for the prevention and control of water pollution and the maintaining or restoring of wholesomeness of water through various management guidelines and restrictions. It was amended in 1978 and has over 60 sections covering all aspects of the problem from establishing authorities to punishing offenders.

FOREST CONSERVATION ACT, 1980

It was enacted in December, 1980 to provide for the conservation of forests and for related matters, direct or indirect. This was amended in 1988 and played a major role in abating the rapid deforestation and illegal encroachment. It also had provisions for the resettlement of people affected by Government projects.

AIR (PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF POLLUTION) ACT, 1981

This act was enforced in May, 1981 to provide for the prevention, control and abatement of air pollution. It was amended in 1987 and states that no person can operate industries like cement, fertilizer, asbestos or petroleum (that are major sources of air pollutants) without consent of State Board. Also Pollution Control Boards (PCBs) were set up under this.

ENVIRONMENT (PROTECTION) ACT, 1986

The act for the protection and improvement of environment was introduced in May, 1986. It was last amended in 1991 and gives the Central Government the power to establish authorities to mandate the prevention of environmental pollution in all its forms and to tackle other environmental problems specific to different parts of the country.

HAZARDOUS WASTE HANDLING AND MANAGEMENT ACT, 1989

First enacted in July, 1989 and later amended in January, 2000, this act sets the rules for the handling, management and disposal of hazardous wastes and guidelines for properly categorizing them. It also sets up an authority to inspect at least once a year- the industrial activity connected with hazardous chemicals and isolated storage facilities. This act was especially prompted by the Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984 which resulted in millions of deaths.

BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY ACT, 2002

 

An act for the preservation of biological biodiversity in India, this was enacted in February, 2003. It had a number of provisions including measures to conserve and make sustainable use of biological resources and prohibition on transfer of Indian genetic material outside the country without the knowledge and approval from the Government.
It also had provisions for setting up of Biodiversity Management Committees at village level, State Biodiversity Boards at State level and a National Biodiversity Authority to overlook them all.

RECOGNITION OF FOREST RIGHTS ACT, 2006

This is one of the most important acts as far as the welfare of tribal people is considered. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act was enacted in December, 2006 to protect the marginalized socio-economic class of citizens and balance the right to environment with their right to life and livelihood.