Section 24 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 24 is the central prohibition of the Water Act. No person may knowingly cause or permit poisonous, noxious or polluting matter, judged by the State Board's standards, to enter a stream, well, sewer or land, and no person may knowingly cause or permit other matter to enter a stream in a way that impedes its flow and substantially aggravates pollution.
This article is current as amended up to the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Act, 2024 (this section was not changed by it; the penalty section for it, section 43, was). Later amendments and notifications should be checked. For advice on whether a discharge from your premises falls within this section, see our legal consultation service.
Section 24(1)(a): no person shall knowingly cause or permit any poisonous, noxious or polluting matter, determined by the State Board's standards, to enter a stream, well, sewer or land. Section 24(1)(b): no person shall knowingly cause or permit any other matter to enter a stream if it may impede the flow and lead to a substantial aggravation of pollution. Section 24(2) lists four acts that are not offences by themselves. Section 24(3) lets the State Government exempt any person by notification. The penalty is in section 43.
Section 24(1)(a): poisonous, noxious or polluting matter
"No person shall knowingly cause or permit any poisonous, noxious or polluting matter determined in accordance with such standards as may be laid down by the State Board to enter (whether directly or indirectly) into any stream or well or sewer or on land."
Five points arise.
- "No person". Not only industries; anyone, including a municipality or a farmer.
- "Knowingly". The prohibition is on knowing conduct. Knowledge can be shown by the nature of the operation, repeated warnings or the Board's notices.
- "Cause or permit". A person who lets a contractor, tenant or employee release matter is caught as well as the person who releases it.
- "Determined in accordance with such standards as may be laid down by the State Board". Whether matter is poisonous, noxious or polluting is tested against the Board's standards. See sections 17 and 18 for the Board's power to lay down effluent standards.
- "Directly or indirectly" and "on land". Matter that reaches a stream through a drain, or that is put on land, is covered. The words "or sewer or on land" extend the original text, which spoke only of stream or well.
Section 24(1)(b): matter that impedes flow
"No person shall knowingly cause or permit to enter into any stream any other matter which may tend, either directly or in combination with similar matters, to impede the proper flow of the water of the stream in a manner leading or likely to lead to a substantial aggravation of pollution due to other causes or of its consequences."
This covers material that is not itself toxic, such as silt, rubble or solid waste, that blocks or slows a stream so as to worsen pollution already there. Two elements must both be present: tending to impede flow, and leading or likely to lead to substantial aggravation of pollution.
Section 24(2): acts that are not offences by themselves
A person "shall not be guilty of an offence under sub-section (1), by reason only of having done or caused to be done" any of these.
| Clause | Act |
|---|---|
| (a) | Constructing, improving or maintaining, in or across or on the bank or bed of a stream, any building, bridge, weir, dam, sluice, dock, pier, drain or sewer or other permanent works which he has a right to construct, improve or maintain |
| (b) | Depositing materials on the bank or in the bed of a stream to reclaim land or to support, repair or protect the bank or bed, provided the materials are not capable of polluting the stream |
| (c) | Putting into a stream any sand, gravel or other natural deposit which has flowed from or been deposited by the current of the stream |
| (d) | Causing or permitting, with the consent of the State Board, the deposit accumulated in a well, pond or reservoir to enter a stream |
Three details matter. The words "by reason only of" mean the exceptions protect the act itself, not any pollution that goes with it. Clause (a) requires a right to construct, improve or maintain. Clause (b) fails if the materials can pollute. And clause (d) needs the Board's consent, so desilting a pond into a stream without it is not within the exception.
Section 24(3): exemption by the State Government
"The State Government may, after consultation with, or on the recommendation of, the State Board, exempt, by notification in the Official Gazette, any person from the operation of sub-section (1) subject to such conditions, if any, as may be specified in the notification and any condition so specified may by a like notification be altered, varied or amended."
So an exemption must be in a Gazette notification, follows consultation with or recommendation of the State Board, and may carry conditions. If you rely on an exemption, you must meet its conditions and watch for alteration by a later notification.
How section 24 fits with section 25
Section 24 is about the discharge itself. Section 25 is about the consent needed before establishing an industry or bringing into use a new or altered outlet, or beginning a new discharge. A plant can hold a consent and still breach section 24 if what it discharges is outside the standards or conditions. Consent and the prohibition work together. See section 25.
The consequence
Contravention of section 24 is dealt with by section 43. That section was substituted by the 2024 Amendment Act, so the penalty depends on whether the 2024 Act applies in your State. Both versions are set out in sections 43 to 45, and this article does not repeat them.
The Environment (Protection) Act deals with discharges beyond prescribed standards in a separate way; see sections 7 and 8.
Practical points for a plant
- Know your standards. Section 24(1)(a) is tested against the State Board's standards. Keep a register of those that apply to each outlet.
- Control your contractors. "Cause or permit" reaches those who allow a discharge.
- Watch land application. Putting effluent on land is covered by the words "on land".
- Do not assume an exception. Section 24(2) protects specific acts and depends on a right, a harmless material or the Board's consent.
- Keep exemption papers. If you rely on a section 24(3) exemption, keep the notification and its conditions.
An example
Ghaggar Dyeing Private Limited has a drain that carries untreated dye wastewater to a stream because the treatment unit is down. The plant manager knows this and has not stopped it, so the company is "knowingly" causing the matter to enter a stream. None of the section 24(2) exceptions applies.
Need help with a discharge issue?
A notice that cites section 24 can lead to a penalty or, in some States, prosecution. Our legal consultation team can help you test the notice against the standards and the facts, check for exemptions, and plan your response.
Key takeaways
- Section 24 bars knowingly causing or permitting poisonous, noxious or polluting matter to enter a stream, well, sewer or land.
- It also bars knowingly causing or permitting other matter to impede a stream's flow and substantially aggravate pollution.
- "Knowingly", "cause or permit" and "directly or indirectly" define the reach.
- Four acts in section 24(2) are not offences by reason only of being done.
- The State Government may exempt a person by Gazette notification, with conditions.
- The consequence is in section 43, which reads differently depending on whether the 2024 Act applies.
Read next
- Section 25: consent to establish and operate
- Sections 43 to 45: penalties for sections 24, 25 and 26
- Sections 7 and 8 of the EP Act: emission standards
- Pollution control CTE/CTO eligibility criteria
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.