Environment and ecology
The Environment Protection (Management of Contaminated Sites) Rules, 2025
▪ Notified by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
▪ First formal legal mechanism in India to address the issue of contaminated land.
▪ Aim: To establish a comprehensive legal and procedural framework to identify, assess, and remediate chemically contaminated sites across India.
▪ Contaminants Covered: 189 hazardous substances as per Hazardous and Other Wastes
(Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016.
▪ According to the Central Pollution Control Board, contaminated sites are those where hazardous and other waste had been dumped historically.
▪ These sites may include landfills, dumps, waste storage and treatment sites, spill sites, and chemical waste handling and storage sites.
▪ Funding for assessment and remediation: Initial assessment costs may be covered by the by the Central Government from the Environmental Relief Fund under Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 and also by the State Government.
▪ Exclusions: Contamination from radioactive waste, mining, oil spills at sea, and solid waste dumps (governed by separate legislation).
National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) Released
▪ For natural disasters in 2025-26, as of July 23, 2025, Rs. 522.34 crores has been released to
Tamil Nadu from the National Disaster response Fund.
▪ National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF)
▪ It is defined in Section 46 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
▪ NDRF is constituted to supplement the funds of the State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF) in case of a disaster of severe nature, provided adequate funds are not available in SDRF
▪ NDMA is the apex body for Disaster Management in India and is headed by the Prime Minister of India
