Which one of the following has been constituted under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) Central Ground Water Authority
The Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) is the groundwater regulator that the Centre created using its powers under Section 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The Water Commission, the Ground Water Board and the Water Development Agency were set up by executive decision or as a society, not under this Act.
- ✓ (c) CGWA is the statutory regulator for groundwater. It grants No Objection Certificates for groundwater abstraction in the States and Union Territories where it is notified to do so.
- ✗ (b) The Central Ground Water Board is a subordinate office of the Jal Shakti Ministry that gives scientific inputs on groundwater (survey, monitoring, assessment). It is a technical body, not one created by the 1986 Act.
- ✗ (d) The National Water Development Agency was set up in July 1982 as an autonomous society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, to study inter-basin water transfer.
- ✗ (a) The Central Water Commission, working since 1945, is the Ministry's technical body for river and water-resources planning, and it too is not a creation of the 1986 Act.
Remember · CGWA is the statutory groundwater regulator set up under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986; CGWB is only a technical board.
Sources
- PIB, Ministry of Jal Shakti: Regulation of Ground Water Management (24 March 2022) ↗ “Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) has been constituted under section 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for the purpose of regulation and control of ground water development and management in the country.”
- Central Ground Water Board, About CGWB ↗ “Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), a subordinate office of the Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India, is the National Apex Agency entrusted with the responsibilities of providing scientific inputs for management, exploration, monitoring, assessment, augmentation and regulation of ground water resources”
- National Water Development Agency, Profile ↗ “The National Water Development Agency (NWDA), was set up in July 1982 as Autonomous Society under the societies registration act 1860”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·