Water exemption Guidelines under Water Act 1974

REGD. No. D. L.-33004/99 The Gazette of India CG-DL-E-11072026-274396 EXTRAORDINARY PART II—Section 3—Sub-section (i) PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY No. 541] NEW DELHI, WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2026/ASHADHA 17, 1948 MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE NOTIFICATION New Delhi, the 8th July, 2026 G.S.R. 599(E). — In exercise of the powers conferred by proviso to sub-section (1) of section 25 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 (6 of 1974), the Central Government, in consultation with the Central Pollution Control Board, hereby makes the following amendments in the notification of the Government of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change published in the gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Sub-section (i), vide number G.S.R 703 (E), dated the 12th November, 2024:- In the said notification, for the Schedule, the following Schedule shall be substituted, namely:- SCHEDULE LIST OF WHITE CATEGORY SECTORS SL.NO. | 1. | Assembly of Bicycles, Baby carriages and other small non motorized vehicles 2. | Baling (hydraulic press) of waste papers 3. | Bio fertilizers and bio-pesticides without using inorganic chemicals 5145 GI/2026 (1) 2 THE GAZETTE OF INDIA : EXTRAORDINARY [PART II—SEC. 3(i)] 4. | Block making of printing without foundry (excluding wooden block making) 5. | Flavoured Betel nuts production or grinding (completely dry mechanical operations) 6. | Manufacturing of shoe brush and wire brush 7. | Coir fibre or pith processing and/or manufacturing of coir products from coir (only dry process) 8. | Assembly of air coolers or air conditioners, repairing and servicing 9. | Cardboard or corrugated box and paper products (excluding paper or pulp manufacturing and without using boilers) 10. | Chalk making from plaster of paris [only casting without boilers etc. (sun drying or electrical oven drying)] 11. | Standalone manufacturing of concrete admixtures up to 1000 Metric Ton per month capacity by physical mixing (without boiler and reactor and no generation of wastewater) 12. | Used cooking oil collection centres 13. | Soap manufacturing (handmade-without steam boiling or boiler) 14. | Diesel pump repairing and servicing (complete mechanical dry process) 15. | Electric lamp (bulb) and Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) manufacturing by assembling only 16. | Electrical and electronic item assembling (completely dry process) 17. | Engineering and fabrication units dry process without any heat treatment or metal surface finishing operations or painting 18. | Carpentry and wooden furniture manufacturing without spray painting [excluding saw mill with the help of electrical (motorized) machines such as electrical wood planer, steel saw cutting circular blade, etc.] 19. | Steel furniture without spray painting 20. | Compressed bio gas plants based on feedstock Municipal solid waste, agro-residue, energy crops grass or weeds, animal waste, press mud, etc. (as similar type feedstock apart from industrial or process waste), not discharging any waste water and producing by-products- (i) Fermented Organic Manure (FOM) Liquid Fermented Organic Manure (LFOM) enriched manure and/or (ii) Briquette or pellet using electricity. 21. | Hydrogen production through electrolysis(using renewable energy) on Build-Own-Operate (BOO) or Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) or Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) mode etc., located in the premises of end user industry and directly using de-mineralized water and other utilities (cooling tower, Effluent Treatment Plant, etc.) sourced from end user industry 22. | Compressed oxygen gas from crude liquid oxygen (without use of any solvents and by maintaining pressure and temperature only for separation of other gases) 23. | Glass ampules and vials making from glass tubes 24. | Ground nut decorticating 25. | Medical oxygen 26. | Handloom or carpet weaving (without dyeing and bleaching operation) 3 27. | Manufacturing of scientific and mathematical instruments (assembling only) 28. | Manufacturing of products from jute (without dyeing or without boiler) 29. | Leather foot wear and leather products (excluding tanning and hide processing) 30. | Leather cutting and stitching (more than 10 machines and using motors) 31. | Organic manure (physical mixing) 32. | Packing of powdered milk 33. | Cold rolling mill (without heat treatment) 34. | Wire drawing and wire netting (without pickling and without heat treatment) 35. | Manufacturing of metal caps containers etc. 36. | Organic and inorganic nutrients by physical mixing (without boiler and without any reactor) 37. | Biscuits trays etc. from rolled Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) sheet (using automatic vacuum forming machines) 38. | Fountain pen manufacturing by assembling only 39. | Glass putty and sealant (by mixing with machine only) 40. | Manufacturing of paper pins, u-clips, etc. 41. | Solar power generation through solar photovoltaic cell and wind power 42. | Repairing of electric motors and generators (dry mechanical process) 43. | Manufacturing of plastic or cotton rope 44. | Tyre retreaders 45. | Collection centres (without depollution, dismantling and shredding) 46. | Surgical and medical products assembled only (without effluent-generating process) 47. | Manufacturing of solar module or non-conventional energy apparatus 48. | Digital thermometer manufacturing 49. | Blending and packing of tea 50. | Garment and apparel manufacturing industry including doubling or reeling or TFO (Two-for-one unit) dry process - without boiler 51. | Cotton and woollen hosiers making (dry process only without any dyeing or washing operation) 52. | Railway sidings only for defence purpose 53. | Household bio-digesters or gobar-gas (cow-dung) plants based on biodegradable wastes, etc. 54. | Mini hydel power plants (capacity -25 Mega Watt) 55. | Agro-produce processing units having capacity more than 0.5 Tonnes Per Day but less than 1 Tonnes Per Day, using only cleaner fuels-electricity or gaseous fuel (without effluent generation) 56. | Assembling units and mechanical workshops (without heat or surface treatment or spray painting) 4 THE GAZETTE OF INDIA : EXTRAORDINARY [PART II—SEC. 3(i)] 57. | Bakery, confectionery and sweets production units having capacity more than 0.5 Tonnes Per Day but less than 1 Tonnes Per Day, using only cleaner fuels-electricity or gaseous fuel and with having permission to discharge in municipal sewerage system connected to terminal Sewage Treatment Plant (STP)* 58. | Cleaning and other brushes manufacturing through dry mechanical process (without moulding and without effluent or emission generation) 59. | Cattle or fish or poultry feed pellet making (only pelletisation unit without boiler and effluent generation) 60. | Cement products (without using asbestos) like pipe, pillar, jafri, well ring, blocks/tiles etc. (<1 Tonnes Per)* 61. | Decoration of ceramic cups and plates by electric furnace 62. | Detergent powder manufacturing (handmade -without steam boiling or boiler)* 63. | Digital printing on flex or vinyl, PVC etc. (less than 5 machines)* 64. | Distilled water using only electricity (< 1 KLD capacity)* 65. | Double Paper Covering (paper coating) of copper and aluminium wire (only dry process) 66. | Food and food processing unit (having capacity more than 0.5 Tonnes Per but less than 1 Tonnes Per) using only cleaner fuels -electricity or gaseous fuel, with having permission to discharge in municipal sewerage system connected to terminal Sewage Treatment Plant * 67. | Fuel dispensing unit only without automobile servicing, repairing and painting 68. | Gold assaying and hallmarking centres 69. | Herbal powder products making without extraction (dry process - without emissions or effluent generation) 70. | Industrial items from engineering plastics by fabrication process only (without moulding) 71. | Manufacturing of all types of threads, cordage, twines etc. (without ginning) 72. | Manufacturing of cotton wicks, tapes, bandages, absorbent cotton etc.(dry process without boiler and effluent generation) 73. | Manufacturing of domestic hardware and utensils (without heat or surface treatment or effluent generation) 74. | Manufacturing of products by only cutting or stitching or gumming (without effluent or emissions generation) 75. | Manufacturing of products through physical mixing only like - floor polish, nail polish, hair oil, shampoo, tooth powder, tooth paste, perfume, hand sanitizer (micro and small scale operations) 76. | Manufacturing of sanitary napkins or diapers fixing and sealing (small and micro scale units without effluent or emission generation) 77. | Manufacturing of stationery items (by assembling or cutting or punching or stapling or binding etc.) 78. | Metal fabrication works and hand tool manufacturing through machines (without heat or surface treatment or spray painting) 79. | Oil mill ghani and extraction no hydrogenation refining with capacity not exceeding 500 kg/day* 80. | Packing of food items (without processing) 81. | Paints and varnishes mixing and blending (without ball mill and only dry process) 82. | Plastic wire, net, nivar and other products (dry process through looping, twisting, cutting etc.) 5 83. | Puffed rice or murhi or chura with capacity not exceeding 1 TPD per day* 84. | Rice mills huller machine with capacity not exceeding 1 TPD per day* 85. | Small scale restaurant or hotel without room or cloud kitchens or resorts (without stay or room facility)* 86. | Sports goods manufacturing units (without seasoning of woods) 87. | Non-leather footwear manufacturing (dry process and without boiler) [F. No. Q-15012/2/2022-CPW/e-240741] NEELESH KUMAR SAH, Jt. Secy. The principal notification was published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Sub-section (i), vide notification number G.S.R. 703 (E), dated the 12th November, 2024 which was further amended vide notification number G.S.R. 511 (E), dated the 29th July, 2025 and G.S.R. 762 (E), dated the 17th October, 2025”. Uploaded by Dte. of Printing at Government of India Press, Ring Road, Mayapuri, New Delhi-110064 and Published by the Controller of Publications, Delhi-110054. KUMER Digitally signed by KUMER CHAND CHAND MEENA Date: 2026.07.11 MEENA 11:33:36 +05'30'