Question

The Environment (Protection) Act in India was enacted in the year

• A. 1972
• B. 1981
• C. 1986
• D. 1991

Hint:

Logic Tip: Remember the Bhopal Gas Tragedy happened in late 1984. It takes the government a little over a year to draft and pass major laws. Thus, the massive Environment Protection Act came out in 1986.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept:
Major environmental legislation is often enacted in response to massive industrial disasters. Knowing the historical timeline is essential for environmental engineering and compliance.

Step 1: 1972 was the year of the UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, which sparked global awareness, but it is not the year India's umbrella protection act was passed. (India passed the Wildlife Protection Act in 1972).

Step 2: The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act was passed in India in 1981.

Step 3: In December 1984, the catastrophic Bhopal gas tragedy occurred (a massive leak of methyl isocyanate from a pesticide plant).

Step 4: In direct response to the glaring loopholes exposed by the Bhopal disaster, the Indian Parliament passed a sweeping, comprehensive "umbrella" legislation to protect the environment and prevent future hazards.

Step 5: This comprehensive law, The Environment (Protection) Act, was officially enacted in the year 1986.