Environment is an essential natural process or an outcome of occurrence.
Environmental studies involves scientific study of the environmental system and the status of its inherent or induced changes on organisms. In addition to study of physical and biological characters of environment, it also describes the social and cultural factors and the impact of man on environment.
Since the sixties concern over the state of environment has grown the world over. There has been substantive decline in environment quality due to increasing pollution, loss of vegetal cover and biological diversity, excessive concentrations of harmful chemicals in the ambient atmosphere and in food chains, growing risks of environmental accidents and threats of life support systems.
Although there are existing laws dealing directly or indirectly with several environmental matters, it is necessary to have a general legislation for environmental protection. Existing laws generally focus on specific types of pollution or on specific categories of hazardous substances. Some major areas of environmental hazards are not covered. Therefore it has become an urgent need for the enactment of a general legislation on environmental protection which should enable co-ordination of activities of the various regulatory agencies, creation of authorities with advocate powers for environmental protection, regulation of discharge of environmental pollutants and handling of hazardous substances, speedy response in the event of accidents threatening environment and deterrent punishment to those who endanger human environment, safety and health.