Reference only — not legal advice. This page is EarthReheal WasteLedger's plain-language interpretation of the rule, written to help organisations understand what may apply to them. It can be incomplete or inaccurate. Always read the official gazette notification or statute, and confirm with your regulator or a qualified adviser, before relying on it for compliance decisions.
Quick Summary
If your premises needs a consent from the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) under the Water Act or the Air Act — for example for a sewage or effluent treatment plant, a diesel generator set or a boiler — or holds an authorisation under the hazardous waste rules, you must send the SPCB an Environmental Statement in Form V every year. It covers the financial year ending 31 March and is due on or before 30 September. Nothing renews or expires to prompt it, so it is one of the most commonly missed filings.
What This Rule Is
Instrument: Rule 14 of the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986, made under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Form V is the prescribed format.
The duty, in the rule's terms: every person carrying on an industry, operation or process requiring consent under section 25 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, or under section 21 of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, or both, or authorisation under the hazardous waste rules issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, shall submit an environmental statement for the financial year ending 31 March in Form V to the concerned State Pollution Control Board on or before 30 September every year.
What Form V asks for (summarised): water and raw-material consumption; pollutants discharged to water and air against the consent limits; hazardous waste and solid waste generated and how they were disposed of; and measures taken for pollution abatement and resource conservation, with any investment proposed.
Who This Applies To
Anyone whose premises holds, or needs, an SPCB consent under the Water Act or Air Act, or a hazardous-waste authorisation. For building operators this commonly includes:
- residential societies, hotels, hospitals, offices, malls, IT parks, colleges and campuses with a sewage treatment plant under a consent to operate;
- premises with an effluent treatment plant (laundries, kitchens with process effluent, workshops, slaughterhouses);
- premises whose DG sets or boilers are covered by an Air Act consent;
- waste facilities — material recovery facilities, waste processors, landfills — and petrol pumps, factories, airports and other operations that run under consent by their nature;
- anyone holding a hazardous-waste authorisation (for example for used oil, solvents or chemical waste).
If you are unsure whether you hold a consent, look for a Consent to Establish (CTE) or Consent to Operate (CTO) issued by your SPCB.
State-Level Variations
The duty and the 30 September date come from the central rule and apply nationwide. What varies is the filing route: most SPCBs take the statement through their online consent management portal (often the same portal used for consent renewals), and some publish their own guidance on the form. Use your SPCB's current route.
Compliance Requirements — What You Actually Have to Do
- Confirm the trigger — check whether you hold a CTE/CTO under the Water or Air Act, or a hazardous-waste authorisation.
- Collect the year's data (April–March): water and raw-material use, monitoring results for discharges and emissions, and quantities of hazardous and solid waste with how they were handled.
- Prepare Form V and file it with the SPCB on or before 30 September.
- Keep the filed statement and the acknowledgement — SPCBs commonly ask for them when renewing a consent.
EarthReheal WasteLedger creates the filing each year with reminders before 30 September and keeps the filed statement with your records.
Penalties & Enforcement
Failing to submit the statement contravenes rules made under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, which provides penalties for contravening the Act and the rules made under it. In practice, the most immediate consequence is during consent renewal, where SPCBs often ask for the environmental statements filed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: We only have an STP under a consent to operate. Does this apply to us? A: Yes. A consent under section 25 of the Water Act is enough to trigger the duty.
Q: Is this the same as the hazardous waste annual return? A: No. The hazardous waste annual return (Form 4) is a separate filing under the hazardous waste rules, due by 30 June. Form V is the environmental statement under the Environment (Protection) Rules, due by 30 September.
Q: Which year does the statement cover? A: The financial year ending 31 March, filed by 30 September of the same year.
Government / Official Sources
- Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 — Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change: moef.gov.in
- Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 — text hosted by a state government: fabkerala.gov.in
Related Rules
- RULE_WATER_ACT_STP and RULE_WATER_ACT_ETP — consents for sewage and effluent treatment plants.
- RULE_AIR_ACT_DG — Air Act consent and emission testing for DG sets and boilers.
- RULE_HWM_2016 — hazardous waste authorisation and the Form 4 annual return.
Additional Reference Content
- Published Form V statements filed by large operators show the format in practice — for example Adani Ports, Kattupalli (FY 2024-25).