Centre notifies rules to identify, clean up contaminated sites

The Centre has notified new rules for the identification and clean-up of contaminated sites across India to prevent risks to human health and the environment.

Titled the Environment Protection (Management of Contaminated Sites) Rules, 2025, and notified on Thursday, the rules aim to prevent exposure to hazardous and toxic substances in soil, sediment and water.

The rules aim to establish a structured mechanism for identifying such sites, holding polluters accountable and ensuring scientific clean-up through risk-based remediation.

The rules empower state pollution control boards (SPCBs) and local authorities to identify and list suspected contaminated sites based on industrial activities, historical waste dumps or community complaints.

These sites will be mapped and tracked through a centralised online portal to be developed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

As per the rules, "The State Board shall list all such sites as suspected contaminated sites on the Centralised Online Portal" and initiate a series of assessments.

These include initial screening followed by detailed site investigations to confirm the presence and extent of contamination.

Once contamination levels are found to exceed defined risk-based thresholds, the site will be officially declared a "contaminated site" and subjected to mandatory remediation.

The rules introduce the concept of a "responsible person", an individual, company, or entity found liable for causing pollution.

The state board concerned shall identify the responsible person for contamination within 90 days from the date of publication of the site as contaminated.

If the polluter cannot be identified, the government may fund remediation using a mix of resources, including the Environment Relief Fund created under the Public Liability Insurance Act and penalties collected from environmental violations.

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The rules also provide that "responsible persons shall be liable for all forms of damage to the environment and human health" and prohibit them from transferring land ownership or land use during and after the clean-up without approval.

To ensure transparency and accountability, a technical committee will oversee implementation and recommend additional remedial actions where needed.

This committee will include representatives from central ministries, state boards, domain experts and industry regulators.

"The committee shall monitor the implementation of the provisions of these rules and submit an annual report to the central government," the notification said.

The rules exclude specific categories from their ambit such as sites contaminated with radioactive waste, mining areas under existing mining laws and maritime oil spills already regulated under other frameworks.

However, if contamination from these sources exceeds acceptable limits or is mixed with other hazardous waste, the rules may still apply.

Another key provision mandates public participation and disclosure. The state board shall invite comments and suggestions from affected stakeholders within 60 days of publication of the site and publish final lists in local newspapers to inform communities.

To fund remediation, the rules allow cost-sharing between the Centre and states in a 90:10 ratio for Himalayan and northeastern states, and 60:40 for others. In Union Territories, the Centre will bear the full cost.

In case of voluntary clean-up, industries can submit proposals if they prove financial and technical capability, have agreement from landowners and commit to full compliance.