Section 6 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Section 6 is the rule-making power of Chapter II. It lets the Central Government make rules, by notification in the Official Gazette, on any matter in section 3, and lists six subjects for which rules may specifically be made. The numerical limits that factories work to come from rules of this kind, not from the Act.
This article is current as amended up to the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 (in force for this Act from 1 April 2024). Section 6 was not changed by that Act. Later amendments and notifications should be checked. For help in tracing a rule to its source in your own business, see our compliance advisory service.
Section 6(1) allows rules on "all or any of the matters referred to in section 3". Section 6(2) lists six subjects: standards of quality of air, water or soil; maximum allowable limits of pollutants including noise; procedures and safeguards for hazardous substances; prohibitions and restrictions on handling them in different areas; prohibitions and restrictions on the location of industries; and accident prevention and remedial measures. The rules are made by notification in the Official Gazette, and section 25 and section 26 add the general rule-making and laying provisions.
Section 6(1): the power
The Central Government "may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules in respect of all or any of the matters referred to in section 3". Section 3 is the Act's list of measures, and section 6 is the way of turning them into binding rules. There is a second, general rule-making power in section 25, which covers the purposes of the Act as a whole. See sections 22 to 26.
Section 6(2): the six listed subjects
The list is "without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power". The rules "may provide for" the following.
| Clause | Subject of the rules |
|---|---|
| (a) | The standards of quality of air, water or soil for various areas and purposes |
| (b) | The maximum allowable limits of concentration of various environmental pollutants (including noise) for different areas |
| (c) | The procedures and safeguards for the handling of hazardous substances |
| (d) | The prohibition and restrictions on the handling of hazardous substances in different areas |
| (e) | The prohibition and restrictions on the location of industries and the carrying on of processes and operations in different areas |
| (f) | The procedures and safeguards for the prevention of accidents which may cause environmental pollution and for providing for remedial measures for such accidents |
Three words recur: "various", "different", "purposes". The Act expects rules to set different limits for different areas and uses. A standard for an industrial estate need not be the same as one for a residential or protected area.
How the rules link to the sections that bind you
Section 6 does not itself bind a factory. It makes the rules possible, and other sections then give them force.
- Section 7 forbids discharge or emission "in excess of such standards as may be prescribed". The standards come from rules. See sections 7 and 8.
- Section 8 requires hazardous substances to be handled only in accordance with the prescribed procedure and safeguards.
- Section 9 speaks of the authorities to whom accidents are to be intimated, "as may be prescribed".
- Sections 14A, 14B and 15 attach penalties to contravention of the Act "or the rules made thereunder".
So a standard that appears in a rule is enforced through these sections, and a breach of the rule is a breach of the Act for penalty purposes. The penalty sections are explained in sections 14A and 14B.
Rule sets that rest on the Act
Several rule sets are made under this Act. Each has its own explainer in this series. The principal ones are:
- The Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986. See rules 1 to 3.
- The waste rules: the Hazardous and Other Wastes Rules, 2016, the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 and the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026.
This article does not describe the content of those rules; the linked explainers do. Whenever you meet a standard, a form or a registration duty, the useful question is, "Which rule is this, and was it made under section 6 or section 25?"
Checking the rule in force
Rules are amended often. When reading a rule, check three things:
- The notification that made or last amended it, and its date.
- Whether the amendment applies to your category of plant or activity.
- Whether a later notification has replaced the rule.
Rules made under the Act must be laid before Parliament under section 26, and Parliament may modify or annul them.
An example
Narmada Castings Limited sets up a foundry. The plant manager is told that a stack emission limit applies. He does not look in the Act. He looks in the rule or notification that sets the standard for his class of industry, confirms its date and that it covers his process, and then records the measured value against it. If the stack exceeds the prescribed limit, section 7 is the section that is breached, and a penalty under section 14A is the possible consequence.
Need help with environmental compliance?
If you are not sure which rule sets your plant must meet, or whether a recent amendment affects you, a short review of your products, wastes and processes can answer it. Our compliance advisory team can prepare a rule-wise checklist for your plant.
Key takeaways
- Section 6 lets the Central Government make rules by Gazette notification on all or any of the matters in section 3.
- Six subjects are listed: quality standards, pollutant limits including noise, hazardous substance handling, restrictions in areas, location of industries, and accident prevention.
- Limits are set for "various" and "different" areas and purposes, so standards can differ.
- Sections 7, 8 and 9 and the penalty sections give the rules their force.
- Always confirm the latest amendment of the rule that applies to your plant.
Read next
- Sections 3 and 4: the Central Government's powers and authorities
- Sections 7 and 8: emission standards and hazardous substance safeguards
- Sections 22 to 26: delegation, other laws and rule-making
- Rules 1 to 3 of the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986
Disclaimer: Based on the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and the Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 as amended by the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 (in force for these Acts from 1 April 2024), the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 as amended by its Amendment Act of 2024 (which applies only in the States and Union territories it names and in States that adopt it), and the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 as amended by the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, as consulted on 3 October 2026. Later amendments, rules and notifications should be checked. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.