Water pollution is a very serious problem in India. The right to a water pollution-free environment has been read into the fundamental right to life guaranteed under the Constitution of India. In addition to a specific law to prevent and control water pollution as well as the environment protection legislation, which follow a command-and-control approach, the statutory framework governing water pollution comprises provisions of municipal laws and public nuisance-related provisions in civil and criminal laws. While the first three laws have suffered from serious implementation failures, the provisions relating to public nuisance have also not been invoked. However, the issue of water pollution has been raised in a number of public interest litigations to varying effect