Rules for Management of Chemically Contaminated Sites

Context:

The Environment Ministry has notified the Environment Protection (Management of Contaminated Sites) Rules, 2025, providing a legal framework for identification, assessment, and remediation of chemically contaminated sites in India.

Chemically contaminated sites

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), contaminated sites are locations where hazardous or other wastes have been historically dumped, leading to probable contamination of soil, groundwater, or surface water, posing risks to human health and the environment.
Examples include landfills, dumps, waste storage and treatment sites, spill sites, and chemical waste handling areas.

Current Status in India:

Identified Sites: 103 contaminated sites.
Remediation Progress: Remedial operations have commenced at only 7 sites.

Necessity of Rules:

Stems from the 2010 Capacity Building Program for Industrial Pollution Management Project.
Earlier measures included:
- Creating an inventory of probable contaminated sites.
- Developing a guidance document for assessment and remediation.
- Developing a legal, institutional, and financial framework (fulfilled now via the 2025 Rules).

Key Provisions of the 2025 Rules:

Identification Process:
- District administration to prepare half-yearly reports on suspected contaminated sites.
- State Board or reference organisation to conduct a preliminary assessment within 90 days.
- Detailed survey and contamination confirmation within the next 3 months.
Contaminant Parameters:
- Assessment against 189 hazardous chemicals listed under the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016.
Public Disclosure:
- Sites exceeding safe contamination levels to be publicised; restrictions on access imposed.
Remediation Responsibility:
- Reference organisation to prepare remediation plan.
- Identification of polluters within 90 days; polluters to bear remediation costs.
- In absence of responsible party or inability to pay, State/Central Government to bear costs.
Liability:
- Criminal liability for loss of life or damage under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.