Environmental laws

In the Constitution of India it is clearly stated that it is the duty of the state to protect and improve the
environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country. It imposes a duty on every citizen to
protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife. Reference to the
environment has also been made in the Directive Principles of State Policy as well as the Fundamental
Rights. The Department of Environment was established in India in 1980 to ensure a healthy environment
for the country. This later became the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 1985.
The constitutional provisions are backed by a number of laws acts, rules, and notifications. The EPA
(Environment Protection Act), 1986 came into force soon after the Bhopal Gas Tragedy and is considered
an umbrella legislation as it fills many gaps in the existing laws. Thereafter a large number of laws came
into existence as the problems began arising, for example, Handling and Management of Hazardous
Waste Rules in 1989.

Forest and wildlife

1927 - The Indian Forest Act and Amendment, 1984, is one of the many surviving colonial statutes. It
was enacted to consolidate the law related to forest, the transit of forest produce, and the duty leviable on
timber and other forest produce.

1972 - The Wildlife Protection Act, Rules 1973 and Amendment 1991 provides for the protection of
birds and animals and for all matters that are connected to it whether it be their habitat or the waterhole or
the forests that sustain them.
1980 - The Forest (Conservation) Act and Rules, 1981, provides for the protection of and the
conservation of the forests.

Math -Snehit Jain

(Area in sq.km )

S. No.

State/UT

Andhra
Pradesh

Geographic Reserved Protected

area
forests
forests
Unclassed

Total

% of
Forests to
total
geographic
area

275068

50479

12365

970

63814

23.20

Arunachal
Pradesh

83743

15321

36211

51540

61.55

Assam

78438

18242

3934

8532

30708

39.15

Bihar

173877

5051

24168

29226

16.81

Delhi

1483

78

85

5.73

Goa

3702

165

1259

1424

38.47

Gujarat

196024

13819

997

4577

19393

9.89

Haryana

44212

247

1104

322

1673

3.78

Himachal
Pradesh

55673

1896

31473

2038

35407

63.60

10

Jammu &
Kashmir

222235

20182

20182

9.08

11

Karnataka

191791

28611

3932

6181

38724

20.19

12

Kerala

38863

11038

183

11221

28.87

13

Madhya
Pradesh

443446

82700

66678

5119

154497

34.84

14

Maharashtra

307690

48373

9350

6119

63842

20.75

15

Manipur

22327

1463

4171

9520

15154

67.87

16

Meghalaya

22429

981

12

8503

9496

42.34

17

Mizoram

21081

7127

3568

5240

15935

75.59

18

Nagaland

16579

86

507

8036

8629

52.05

19

Orissa

155707

27087

30080

17

57184

36.73

20

Punjab

50362

44

1107

1750

2901

5.76

21

Rajasthan

342239

11585

16837

3278

31700

9.26

22

Sikkim

7096

2261

285

104

2650

37.34

23

Tamil Nadu

130058

19486

2528

614

22628

17.40

24

Tripura

10486

3588

509

2196

6293

60.01

25

Uttar
Pradesh

294411

36425

1499

13739

51663

17.55

26

West Bengal

88752

7054

3772

1053

11879

13.38

27

Andaman &
Nicobar
Island

8249

2929

4242

7171

86.93

28

Chandigarh

114

31

31

27.19

29

Dadra &
Nagar Haveli

491

198

203

41.34

30

Daman & Diu

112

0.7

0.63

31

Lakshadweep

32

0.00

32

Pondicherry

493

0.00

3287263

416547

223321.7

125385

76525
3

23.28

Total
Table 6.2

India: Forest Cover Estimates (sq km)

Satellite and
Cycle

Year

Sensor

Data Period

Forest Cover

First

1987

Landsat-Mss

1981-83

640,819

Second

1989

Landsat-TM

1985-87

638,804

Third

1991

Lansat-TM

1987-89

639,364

Fourth

1993

Lansat-TM

1989-91

639,386

Fifth

1995

IRS-1 LISSII

1991-93

638,879

Sixth

1997

IRS-IB LISSII

1993-95

633,397

1996-98

637,293

2000

675,538

IRS-IC/ID
Seventh

1999

LISSIII
IRS-IC/ID

Eighth

2001

LISSIII

Table 6.3 India: State wise Area under Forest (sq km) in 2001
Percentage of
forest area to
State /Union
Territory

Geographical
Area

Total

Dense

Open

geographical

Forest Forest Forest

area

44637

25827

18810

16.23

States
Andhra Pradesh275069
Arunachal
Pradesh

83743

68045

53932

14113

81.25

Assam

78438

27714

15830

11884

35.33

Bihar

94163

5720

3372

2348

6.07

Chhattisgarh

135191

56448

37880

18568

41.75

Goa

3702

2095

1785

310

56.59

Gujarat

196022

15152

8673

6479

7.73

Haryana

44212

1754

1139

615

3.97

55673

14360

10429

3931

25.79

Kashmir

222236

21237

11848

9389

9.56

Jharkhand

79714

22637

11787

10850

28.40

Karnataka

191791

36991

26156

10835

19.29

Kerala

38863

15560

11772

3788

40.04

Pradesh

308245

77265

44384

32881

25.07

Maharashtra

307713

47482

30894

16588

15.43

Manipur

22327

16926

5710

11216

75.81

Meghalaya

22429

15584

5681

9903

69.48

Mizoram

21081

17494

8936

8558

82.98

Nagaland

16579

13345

5393

7952

80.49

Orissa

155707

48838

27972

20866

31.37

Punjab

50362

2432

1549

883

4.82

Rajasthan

342239

16367

6322

10045

4.78

Sikkim

7096

3193

2391

802

44.99

Tamil Nadu

130058

21482

12499

8983

16.52

Tripura

10486

7065

3463

3602

67.38

Uttaranchal

53483

23938

19023

4915

44.76

Uttar Pradesh

240928

13746

8965

4781

5.71

West Bengal

88752

10693

6346

4347

12.05

A. & N. Islands 8249

6930

6593

337

84.01

Chandigarh

7.89

Himachal
Pradesh
Jammu &

Madhya

Union
Territories

114

D.& N. Haveli

491

219

151

68

44.60

Daman & Diu

112

5.36

Delhi

1483

111

38

73

7.48

Lakshadweep

32

27

27

84.38

Pondicherry

480

36

35

7.50

India

3287263

675538 416809 258729 20.55

Table 6.4 Geographical Distribution of Forests in India:

Percentage of total forest
SI. No.

Geographical Region

of India

1.

Himalayan Region

1800

2.

The Great Plain of India

5-00

3.

Peninsular plateaus and Hills

5700

Western Ghats and Western

4.

CoastEil Plain

1000

Eastern Ghats and Eastern

5.

Coastal plain

10-00

Total

100 00