There are a number of environmental protection legislation in the Constitution of India.
A well-developed Framework was put into action after the UN
Conference on the Human Environment, 1972 (Stockholm). As a
result, a regulatory organization was established in 1972 to look after the matters of the environment,
Ministry of environment and forests (MoEF)
The National Council for Environmental Policy and Planning, 1972 was set up within the Department of Science and Technology. It was later evolved to the MoEF, 1985.
Environmental protection legislation
The three main legislation for the protection of the environment are:
– The National Green Tribunal Act, 2010
The NGT act has been drafted to establish the influential and expeditious disposal of cases related to the protection of the environment and conservation of natural resources. It includes the enforcement of any legal rights related to the same.
– The Environment Protection Act 1986
This act assures the protection and improvement of the environment. The act includes water, air, and land as well as the interrelationships between them and other living creatures and properties. Under this, the central government is entrusted to take up the compulsory steps to protect and enhance environmental quality.
Hazardous Waste Management Regulations –
A waste that is likely to cause danger to health or the environment due to its properties, alone or when in contact with other substances, is termed as hazardous waste. The rules monitoring hazardous waste management are:
- Hazard Waste [Management, Handling, Transboundary] Rules 2008
It was ascertained to provide guidance for the manufacture, storage, and transport of hazardous chemicals and waste. - Biomedical Waste [Management and Handling] Rules,
1998: It provides a formulation for proper disposal, segregation, transport of communicable disease dissipating entities. - Municipal Solid Waste [Management and Handling] Rules, 2000: The act regulates the municipalities to dispose of waste in a scientific strategy.
Also, read – Why is proper E-Waste Management Important?
