Important Legislation and terms relating to environment, pollution,forests and wildlife.

Important Legislations on environment.

1) Environment Protection act 1986

This act provides the necessary measures to government to protect and improve the environment, setting the standards for emission and release of harmful substances by regulate and restrict the industrial activities which may have adverse impact on environment.

2) The water(Prevention and control of pollution) act 1974

To prevention and control the pollution of water central government introduced the water act in 1974. It mainly regulates those activities which may lead to contamination of water bodies in India. 

The main objectives of this act is to 

i)prevent and control the water pollution(Ground water or surface water body)

ii) maintaining and restoring the wholesomeness of water

iii) Establishment of water pollution prevention and control bodies.

3)Air (prevention and control of pollution) act 1981

Air pollutants means any solid liquid or gaseous substance including noise present in atmosphere in such concentration as may tends to be injurious to human being, living creatures or Property or environment.

This act focus on prevention of air pollution by regulating emission of pollutants to air from automobiles and industrial units. Under this act Central and state boards established in both the levels to preserve the quality of air and control the pollution.

4) Forest conservation act 1980

To conserve and protect the forest resources the central government  enacted forest conservation act in 1980. This act covers all type of forest whether it is reserved, protected land. 

It regulates the State governments to illigal conversion of forest land as non forest purpose such as industrial, mining, infrastructure development etc without approval of central government.

5) Wildlife protection act 1972

To ensure and provides the necessary protection to wildlife and their habitats (animals and birds), prevention of poaching and illigal hunting wildlife protection act was introduced in 1972 by central government. 

This act classified the wildlife species in to several schedules which provides highest protection to endangered species. It provides the power to central government to declare the areas as protected areas, national parks, Wildlife sanctuaries etc to protect the habitats.

Some important projects launched under this act are: Lions project (1972), tigers project (1973), crocodile project (1974), CITES in 1976 etc.

6) The national green tribunal act 2010

The national green tribunal was established on 18 October 2010 under the National green tribunal act to provide effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental matters.

It's headquarter is located is in New Delhi with four regional offices are in Bhopal, Pune, kolkata and Channi. The NGT has power to deal with cases relating to environmental issues, conservation of resources, and other environmental laws etc.

7)The biodiversity act 2002

In order to conserve the India's biological diversity and sustainable use of environment this act was introduced in 2002. The primary objectives of the act is to regulate the illigal access of biological resources and associated knowledge by ensuring the access and benifits sharing.

8)The Hazardous Waste Management and Handling Rules, 2008

 These rules provides guidelines for  management, handling, and disposal of hazardous waste to prevent environmental damages.

9) Carbon trading

Carbon trading is a part of Kyoto protocol which is also called as carbon emission trading or cap-end- trading. It is a type of emission trading designed to reduce green house gases ,carbon dioxide (Co2) and other pollutants which contribute to climate change.

10) Environment impact assessment (EIA)

It is a process used to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of  projects, policies, programs, or plans before they are carried out. The main purpose of EIA is to ensure that development activities are conducted in an environmentally sustainable manner, minimizing adverse environmental effects and promoting sustainable development. 

These are some important environmental legislations in India, which forming a legal framework to protect and manage the environment, wildlife, water, air, forests, and biodiversity in the country.