The Environment (Protection) Act was passed by the Indian Parliament in 1986 in order to control, monitor, and manage pollution as well as to safeguard the environment in the Union Territories of India.
In accordance with Section 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Central Ground Water Authority was established to develop and safeguard all of the water resources in the Indian Territory for use by India's future generations.
As per the list of Assessment units, the CGWA has notified 162 critical/ overexploited areas in parts of NCT Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, MP, Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, UT of Puducherry and UT of Diu, so that the abstraction of groundwater for commercial purposes could be controlled and regulated. The concerned Deputy Commissioners/District Magistrates have been given instructions to execute the Act's provisions to control groundwater development in these designated regions under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.