Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974

This act provides for maintaining and restoring the sources of water. It also provides for preventing and controlling water pollution.

Objectives of  Water act 

i) Prevention and control of water pollution.

ii) Maintaining or restoring the wholesomeness of water.

iii) establishing central and state boards for the prevention and control of water pollution.

Important features of  Water Act 

1. The Act aims at, to protect the water from all kinds of pollution and to preserve the quality of water in all aquifers.

2. The Act further provides for the establishment of  Central Board and State Boards for Prevention of water pollution.

3. The States are empowered to restrain any person from discharging a pollutant or sewage or effluent into any water body without the consent of the board.

4. Any contravention of the guidelines or standards would attract penal action including prison sentence ranging from three months to six years.

5. This Act is not clear About the definition of pollutant, discharge of pollutant, toxic pollutant which allows scope for misinterpretation at the time of decision whether the law is violated or not. 

The amendment Act of 1988 requires permission to set up an industry which may discharge effluent. 

State Pollution Control Board :

The consent of the State Pollution Control Board is needed to 

i) Take Steps to establish any industry or any treatment and disposal system or any extension or addition there to, which is likely to discharge or trade effluent into stream or well or river or on land. 

ii) Use any new or altered outlet for the discharge of a sewage. 

iii) Begin to make  any new discharge of sewage .

iv) In the event of violation of the conditions imposed. The state board may serve on the offender a notice imposing any such conditions as it might establishment, such outlet or discharge that is a violation of conditions.

The act further empowers the state board to order closure or stoppage of supply or electricity, water or any other services to the polluting unit. Non-compliance of the order may attract imprisonment for a term of one and half years to six years and fine which may extend to Rupees five thousand for every day, if the default continues.