The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), on January 28, 2026, notified regarding the Government Rationalises Regulatory Framework to Accelerate Setting up of Common Effluent Treatment Plants.
The following has been stated namely:-
• CETPs will continue to be stringently regulated by State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
• It states that the reform is accompanied by enhanced safeguards, including mandatory conveyance of effluents exclusively through closed pipeline systems, prohibition on the use of treated effluents for agricultural purposes, and continuous online monitoring with real-time data connectivity to CPCB and SPCB servers. These measures ensure traceability, prevent illegal discharge, and enable continuous regulatory oversight, thereby fully safeguarding environmental and public health interests.
• Expert-driven and Consultative Process: The decision follows an expert-driven and consultative process. The draft notification was placed in the public domain for 60 days, and all stakeholder inputs received during this period were carefully examined before finalisation. The revised provisions will apply prospectively.
[Press Release ID: 2219600]
