This document is a bill by Ministry of Water Resources is to amend the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) of 1974. The objective of this bill is to address the pressing problem of river pollution and increasing contribution of municipal sewage that is discharged to rivers. The objectives of the bill are:

• Constitution of the National River Conservation Authority and the State River Conservation Authorities to lay down parameters for effluent quality for sewage treatment plants and to supervise and control the functions of the Central Board and the State Boards in preventing water pollution caused by sewage;
• Assessment of requirement of sewage treatment capacity by National River Conservation Authority and the State River Conservation Authorities so as to facilitate further capacity creation to bridge the gap between the existing capacity and the required capacity;
• Making prior approval of the National River Conservation Authority or the State River Conservation Authority compulsory for granting exemption to a sewerage authority for using a stream or a well for disposal of polluting matters, etc.; and
• Prohibiting discharge of sewage and other polluting matters into a stream and providing rigorous penalties for contravention of the provisions of the Act.

Click here to download the bill.