When did the Government of India pass the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — D, 1974. The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act was enacted by Parliament in 1974 — India's first pollution-specific central legislation, aimed at preventing and controlling water pollution and restoring the wholesomeness of water. It created the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and empowered State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) to set standards and grant consent for effluent discharge.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) 1972 is the year of the Wildlife (Protection) Act — a wildlife/biodiversity law, not a pollution-control Act.  (b) 1986 is the year of the Environment (Protection) Act — the umbrella environmental law passed after the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy, not the Water Act.  (c) No landmark central pollution-control Act was passed in 1990 — this year doesn't correspond to any of India's major environmental statutes.

Concept: The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 was India's first pollution-specific environmental law — it predates both the Air Act (1981) and the Environment (Protection) Act (1986). It gives the Central and State Pollution Control Boards powers to set effluent standards, grant/refuse consent to discharge, and prosecute polluters.

State PCS 2024 Q8 — Environment & Ecology PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2024 Q8 — Environment & Ecology PYQ with Answer