When was the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act enacted, in which of the following years?
- (a)1974
- (b)1976
- (c)1975
- (d)1977
Correct — A, 1974. The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act was enacted by Parliament in 1974. It was India's first comprehensive law to prevent and control water pollution and to maintain or restore the wholesomeness of water. It created the institutional machinery for pollution control — the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) at the Centre and the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs). Because 'water' is a State-List subject, it was passed under Article 252, with enabling resolutions from state legislatures.
- (b)1976 — 1976 is the year of the 42nd Constitutional Amendment, which inserted the environmental duties in Articles 48A and 51A(g) — a related milestone, but the Water Act itself was enacted in 1974, not 1976.
- (c)1975 — No major central environmental statute was enacted in 1975; the Water Act was already in force by then. It is a filler year placed close to the correct 1974.
- (d)1977 — 1977 is the year of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act — a companion law that levied a cess on water use to fund the pollution-control boards — not the parent Water Act, which is 1974.
The Water Act, 1974 is the foundation of India's pollution-control regime. The chronology of core environmental laws is: Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974 → Water Cess Act 1977 → Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981 → Environment (Protection) Act 1986 (the umbrella law passed after the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster). The Water and Air Acts set up the CPCB and SPCBs that administer the later rules.
The trap is a cluster of nearby years (1974-77), each plausible for 'an environmental law'. Anchor the flagship dates — Water 1974, Air 1981, Environment (Protection) 1986 — and remember that the Water Cess Act 1977 is the deliberate near-miss distractor (d).
- Water Act 1974 — India's first dedicated anti-pollution statute; it set up the CPCB and the SPCBs.
- Enacted under Article 252 because 'water' is in the State List (states passed enabling resolutions).
- The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act came in 1977.
- The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act followed in 1981 and the Environment (Protection) Act in 1986.
- 1974 — Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act; creates CPCB/SPCBs
- 1977 — Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act
- 1981 — Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act
- 1986 — Environment (Protection) Act (umbrella law)
The Water Act 1974 was the first of the series and created the CPCB/SPCB machinery that administers the later Acts.
- Confusing the Water Act 1974 with the Water Cess Act 1977 or with the 42nd Amendment (1976).
- Mixing up the years of the Air Act (1981) and the Environment (Protection) Act (1986).
UPSC and UPPSC test the 'Act — year' pairing and 'which body was created by which Act' directly — keep the 1972-1986 environmental-law timeline memorised.
Consider the following statements: The Environment Protection Act, 1986 empowers the Government of India to 1. State the requirement of public participation in the process of environmental protection, and the procedure and manner in which it is sought. 2. Lay down the standards for emission or discharge of environmental pollutants from various sources. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer(b) 2 only — the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 empowers the Centre to lay down emission/discharge standards; it does not itself mandate public-participation procedures.
Same syllabus concept — India's pollution-control legislation. This question tests the Environment (Protection) Act 1986, the umbrella law that followed the Water Act 1974's pollution-control framework and works alongside the CPCB/SPCBs the Water Act created.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) was first constituted under which of the following Acts?
- (a)Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
- (b)Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
- (c)Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
- (d)Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
Answer(b) Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 — it created the CPCB (later also given functions under the Air Act, 1981).
- practice — not a real PYQ
Since 'water' is a State-List subject, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 was enacted by Parliament by invoking which Article?
- (a)Article 249
- (b)Article 250
- (c)Article 252
- (d)Article 253
Answer(c) Article 252 — Parliament legislated after two or more state legislatures passed resolutions requesting it to do so.