Amparo for contamination of Río Torres by wastewater from Condominio Pie Monte IIAmparo por contaminación del Río Torres por aguas residuales de Condominio Pie Monte II

“…II.- Purpose of the appeal. The appellant claims a violation of the right to health and life, as well as to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, due to the negligence of the respondent authorities in granting construction permits for the housing project where they reside, without verifying compliance with the relevant legal requirements. They state that the foregoing contributes to the contamination of the Río Torres, caused by the discharge of untreated raw sewage (aguas negras) and wastewater (aguas residuales).

III.- On the right to health and a healthy environment. Public health and the right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment are constitutionally recognized (articles 21, 50, 73, and 89 of the Magna Carta), as well as through international regulations. In this regard, this Court, in ruling No. 3705-93 of 3:00 p.m. on July 30, 1993, stated the following:

"...Environmental quality is a parameter of that quality of life; other no less important parameters are health, food, work, housing, education, etc., but more important than that is understanding that while man has the right to make use of the environment for his own development, he also has a duty to protect and preserve it for the use of present and future generations, which is not so novel, because it is nothing more than the translation to this field of the principle of 'harm' (lesión), already consolidated in common law, by virtue of which the legitimate exercise of a right has two essential limits: On the one hand, the equal rights of others and, on the other, the rational exercise and useful enjoyment of the right itself...".

Likewise, there is an obligation of the State to protect the environment that is expressly contemplated in the second paragraph of article 50 of the Political Constitution, which provides:

" ...Every person has the right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment. Therefore, they are legitimized to denounce acts that infringe upon that right and to claim reparation for the damage caused..." This provision is complemented by what is established in numeral 11 of the "Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights." Harmoniously interpreting both norms, the precautionary principle can be derived, according to which the State must arrange everything necessary – within the scope permitted by law – to prevent irreversible damage to the environment. In relation to the foregoing, this Chamber, through ruling No. 180-98 of 4:24 p.m. on January 13, 1998, ordered:

"...the State not only has the unavoidable responsibility to ensure that the health of each of the persons who make up the national community does not suffer harm from third parties, in relation to these rights, but also must assume the responsibility of achieving the social conditions conducive to each person being able to enjoy their health, such right understood as a situation of physical, psychological (or mental), and social well-being." On the other hand, municipalities are under the constitutionally imposed obligation to safeguard local interests in their respective canton (article 169 of the Political Constitution), and the legal regulations impose the duty on the Municipal Corporation to ensure that the exercise of any activity has the corresponding municipal permits.

IV.- On the State's obligation to protect human life. It has been usual for the right to life, frequently analyzed jointly with the right to physical integrity, to have been understood as a right of negative content, that is, its object was limited to the claim against the State that it refrain from carrying out actions aimed at eliminating the physical existence of persons, for example torture or the death penalty, or that it punish persons, public and private, who attack the life and integrity of others, through the penal system; however, the current trend is to impose various positive conducts on the State, in the sense that beyond disturbing the physical existence of persons, it must act to protect them, given the multiple dangers that stalk it, whether they stem from actions of the State itself or of other persons, and even from nature itself. Hence, for example, environmental issues have become, at least in our country, a matter of constitutional nature, since the right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment was elevated to the rank of a fundamental right. Now, it is necessary to clarify that the objective existence of an obligation of the State regarding the protection of the right to life does not inevitably entail a subjective right of persons to demand, through judicial bodies, that a specific measure be taken, but it does entail that suitable measures be taken to protect that right, in the face of openly negligent attitudes by public authorities. It is thus that the State acquires the obligation to regulate the areas of social life from which dangers to the physical existence of the inhabitants of its territory may arise, whether through law, regulations, agreements, or other measures related to administrative organization and procedures, and the subjective right of persons that this be done diligently. Consequently, the possibility of demanding judicially, through the recurso de amparo, a specific type of welfare activity from the State in fulfillment of its duty to protect the life and physical integrity of its inhabitants, is restricted to the clear verification of an imminent danger against those rights of persons. From this it follows that the interference of the constitutional jurisdiction is only viable in the face of the proven inertia of the State, through its competent bodies, in attending to the demands made by the country's inhabitants in the exercise of their rights.

V.- On the protection of water. This Court, in an already abundant jurisprudential line, has established the duty of State bodies and municipal corporations to preserve the environment (see, for example, ruling No. 00644-99 of 11:24 a.m. on January 29, 1999). In this context, it goes without saying that an extremely important aspect of the protection of public health and the environment consists of the protection of water reserves, which must be conserved, for obvious reasons, free from contamination. The legislature, upon realizing its capital importance, established a duty of the State to preserve the purity of the water. In resolution number 3442-05 of 7:07 p.m. on March 29, 2005, it established:

“…Thus, regarding the evacuation and treatment of raw sewage, the Organic Law of the Environment provides the following:

“Article 60.- Prevention and control of contamination To prevent and control contamination of the environment, the State, the municipalities, and other public institutions shall give priority, among others, to the establishment and operation of adequate services in fundamental areas for environmental health, such as:

(...) The sanitary disposal of excreta, sewage (aguas servidas) and stormwater (aguas pluviales).

(...) These services shall be provided in the manner determined by specific laws and regulations, seeking the participation of the population and its organizations.” “Article 65.- Treatment of wastewater (aguas residuales) Wastewater of any origin must receive treatment before being discharged into rivers, lakes, seas, and other bodies of water; furthermore, they must achieve the quality established for the receiving body, according to its current and potential use and for its future utilization in other activities.” “Article 67.- Contamination or deterioration of hydrographic basins Persons, physical or legal, public or private, shall be obligated to adopt the appropriate measures to prevent or minimize the contamination or sanitary deterioration of hydrographic basins, according to the classification of current and potential use of the waters.” These provisions are complemented by article 275 of the General Health Law (Ley General de Salud), which establishes:

“Any natural or legal person is prohibited from contaminating surface, subterranean, and territorial maritime waters, directly or indirectly, through drainage or the discharge or storage, voluntary or negligent, of liquid, solid, or gaseous residues or wastes, radioactive or non-radioactive, raw sewage, or substances of any nature that, altering the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the water, make it dangerous for the health of persons, terrestrial and aquatic fauna, or unusable for domestic, agricultural, industrial, or recreational uses.” In this sense, the Legislative Assembly clearly specified which Authorities are especially called upon to prevent contamination caused by raw sewage discharges: the Municipalities, the Instituto de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, and the Ministry of Health.

VI.- Municipal competencies in the area of sanitary sewerage (alcantarillado sanitario). In Costa Rica, as can be deduced from the foregoing, the competence in the area of sanitary sewerage —specifically, regarding the construction and operation of the infrastructure required to properly dispose of wastewater— is established, expressly and implicitly, by common legislation. Although the current Municipal Code does not establish any specific provision on this subject, the Chamber has declared, in ruling No. 2002-08696 of 10:14 a.m. on September 6, 2002, that this does not exclude the obligation of municipal entities —evidently, in coordination with the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, which is the governing body par excellence in the matter— to develop, among other communal works, matters relating to adequate aqueduct and sewerage (alcantarillados) systems. Indeed, article 4 subsection c) of the current Municipal Code establishes in general terms, as a municipal attribution, the administration and provision of municipal public services, within which, without a doubt, are found aqueduct and sewerage (alcantarillados) systems. For that reason, this Chamber, through ruling number 2001-00591 of 4:54 p.m. on January 23, 2001, stated the following:

"V.- Regarding the Municipality of Curridabat, as established by article 169 of the Political Constitution and the Municipal Code, it corresponds to the municipalities to administer local services and interests, in order to promote the integral development of the cantons in harmony with national development. Consequently, the Municipality must establish a comprehensive urban planning policy in accordance with the respective law, which pursues the efficient and harmonious development of urban centers and guarantees —at least— efficient electrification and communication services; good systems for the provision of drinking water and the evacuation of sewage (aguas servidas), through adequate aqueduct and sewerage (alcantarillado) systems, modern lighting and ornamental systems for cities; efficient construction, repair, and cleaning services for streets and other public thoroughfares; and, in general, concrete and practical plans to make the life of the population comfortable and safe." Thus, in the aforementioned resolution No. 2002-08696 of 10:14 a.m. on September 6, 2002, the Chamber concluded that “... the attribution of creating and maintaining sanitary sewerage (alcantarillado sanitario) networks corresponds to the municipalities, because these, according to article 3 of the current Municipal Code, are the primary parties obligated to safeguard the cantonal interests and services within the jurisdiction under their charge, and because this is expressly derived from article 169 of the Political Constitution, which establishes the generic competence of the Municipalities in this matter. However, in view of the provisions of article 2 of the Constitutive Law of the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, such obligation must be shared with the Instituto Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, since it, as the governing body of the matter, is in charge at the national level (sic) of directing, coordinating, and overseeing everything concerning the evacuation of raw sewage (aguas negras), sewerage (alcantarillados), and contamination of water resources for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Republic.” VII.- Competencies of the Ministry of Health in the area of sanitary sewerage (alcantarillados sanitarios).- Without prejudice to what is stated in the preceding considerando, the General Health Law and the Constitutive Law of the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados establish that the technical control of aqueducts and sewerage (alcantarillados) corresponds jointly to the Instituto Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillados and the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Health, within the scope of its competencies, is also directly obligated to act in this matter. In that sense, article 289 of the General Health Law, regarding sewerage (alcantarillado) matters, properly provides the following:

"Any sewerage (alcantarillado) system shall be under the technical control of the Ministry and the Servicio Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillado, and private or public legal persons who construct, administer, and operate them shall be subject to the rules that the Executive Branch, in consultation with the Servicio Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillado, dictates to condition their construction, operation, and the final evacuation and treatment of effluents." In accordance with this law, it is the responsibility of the Minister of the branch to issue the technical health standards, to which physical or legal persons of private or public law must adhere, in matters where the law itself so requires, among which, without a doubt, is that relating to sanitary sewerage (alcantarillado sanitario). Regarding the Ministry of Health, this Chamber has said on repeated occasions that it has the necessary competence to supervise compliance with the regulations governing the matter, because it is not enough to simply issue sanitary orders (órdenes sanitarias) without verifying their compliance and sanctioning their non-compliance.” VIII.- Specific case. It is fully accredited that despite the repeated complaints from neighbors, and the intervention of the College of Engineers and Architects, the problems of discharge of wastewater (wastewater and sewage) from the Housing Project called Condominio Pie Monte II persist. The foregoing is accepted by the Minister of Health in the report rendered to the Chamber, who also acknowledges that non-compliance with the Sanitary Order (Orden Sanitaria) issued on May 14 of this year still persists, in which a period of 30 days was granted to the condominium developer for the installation of a treatment system for the project's raw sewage (aguas negras) and sewage (aguas servidas). Likewise, the respondent Minister points out that even though the developing company presented an alternative with lower operation and maintenance costs, the contamination problem continues, so a declaration of uninhabitability (inhabitabilidad) due to unsanitary conditions and the eviction of the inhabited apartments is appropriate. Thus, while it is true that the authorities of the Ministry of Health have endeavored to address the problem denounced here, the constitutional requirements regarding compliance with the obligations derived from article 50 and the right to health, developed in the General Health Law in its articles 2, in relation to 285, 287, 288, 292, 301, and 313, among others, cannot be considered satisfied. On the other hand, the Municipality of San José also cannot disengage from its duties when approving constructions. In this sense, it was its responsibility to carry out inspections to determine that the evacuation of raw sewage (aguas negras) was done as authorized. However, in the report rendered to the Chamber, the respondent mayor merely stated that in March 2001 the construction permit for the work was granted, and that they are aware of the need to build a raw sewage (aguas negras) treatment plant in said condominium. In this regard, the provisions of article 1 of the Construction Law (Ley de Construcciones), according to which:

“Article 1.- The Municipalities of the Republic are responsible for ensuring that cities and other towns meet the necessary conditions of safety, healthiness (salubridad), comfort, and beauty in their public thoroughfares and in the buildings and constructions erected on the land thereof, without prejudice to the powers that laws grant in these matters to other administrative bodies.” On this same point, article 87 of the same law establishes the following:

“Article 87.- The Municipality shall exercise oversight over the works executed in its jurisdiction, as well as over the use being given to them. Municipal inspectors are its agents, whose mission is to monitor the observance of the precepts of this Regulation.” Finally, regarding the prevention of contamination, numeral 60 of the Organic Law of the Environment provides the following:

“Article 60.- Prevention and control of contamination To prevent and control contamination of the environment, the State, the municipalities, and other public institutions shall give priority, among others, to the establishment and operation of adequate services in fundamental areas for environmental health, such as:

(…) b) The sanitary disposal of excreta, sewage (aguas servidas), and stormwater (aguas pluviales).” Notwithstanding the foregoing, the amparo is inappropriate with respect to the Minister of Environment and Energy, given that before that office, or before the Secretaría Técnica Nacional Ambiental, no application of any kind has been filed on behalf of the company JRA Rojo, SA, or the Project called CCN Condominio Piemonto II. Likewise, no type of permit has been granted, nor does any complaint exist, related to the events that gave rise to the present amparo.

IX.- Conclusion. From this perspective, the sanitary orders (órdenes sanitarias) and the measures implemented by the Ministry of Health have been insufficient to prevent the contamination of the Río Torres caused by the wastewater (aguas residuales) from the Pie Monte II condominium. The foregoing, added to the omission of the authorities of the Municipality of San José in exercising the oversight powers that the legal system confers upon them, to guarantee the right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, results in the detriment of the fundamental rights of the protected parties, therefore, it is imperative to grant the appeal filed.” Now, it is necessary to clarify that the objective existence of an obligation of the State regarding the protection of the right to life does not unavoidably entail a subjective right of individuals to demand, through judicial bodies, that a specific measure be taken, but it does entail a right to demand that suitable measures be taken to protect that right, in the face of openly negligent attitudes by public authorities. Thus, the State acquires the obligation to regulate the areas of social life from which dangers to the physical existence of the inhabitants of its territory may arise, whether through laws, regulations, agreements, or other measures related to administrative organization and procedures, and individuals have a subjective right to have this done diligently. Consequently, the possibility of judicially demanding, through the amparo remedy, a specific type of activity (prestacional) from the State in fulfillment of its duty to protect the life and physical integrity of its inhabitants, is restricted to the clear verification of an imminent danger against those rights of individuals. It follows that the intervention of the constitutional jurisdiction is only viable in the face of proven inertia on the part of the State, through its competent bodies, in attending to the demands made by the country's inhabitants in the exercise of their rights. </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:34.0pt;line-height:150%'><b>V.- On the protection of waters.</b> This Tribunal, in an already abundant jurisprudential line, has established the duty of State bodies and municipal corporations to preserve the environment (see, for example, judgment No. 00644-99 of 11:24 a.m. on January 29, 1999). In this context, it goes without saying that an extremely important aspect of the protection of public health and the environment is comprised of the protection of water reserves, which must be kept, for obvious reasons, free from contamination. The legislator, realizing its paramount importance, established a duty of the State to preserve the purity of waters. In ruling number 3442-05 of 7:07 p.m. on March 29, 2005, it established: </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i> “…Thus, regarding the evacuation and treatment of blackwater (aguas negras), the Organic Law of the Environment provides the following: </i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i> “Article 60.- Prevention and control of contamination</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i> To prevent and control environmental contamination, the State, the municipalities, and other public institutions shall give priority, among others, to the establishment and operation of adequate services in areas fundamental to environmental health, such as:</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i> (...) The sanitary disposal of excreta, wastewater (aguas servidas), and rainwater (aguas pluviales).</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i> (...) These services shall be provided in the manner determined by specific laws and regulations, seeking the participation of the population and its organizations.”</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>“Article 65.- Treatment of residual waters</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>Residual waters (aguas residuales) of any origin must receive treatment before being discharged into rivers, lakes, seas, and other bodies of water; furthermore, they must achieve the quality established for the receiving body, according to its current and potential use and for its future utilization in other activities.”</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>“Article 67.- Contamination or deterioration of hydrographic basins</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>Individuals or legal entities, public or private, shall be obligated to adopt adequate measures to prevent or minimize the contamination or sanitary deterioration of hydrographic basins, according to the classification of current and potential use of the waters.”</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i> These provisions are complemented by Article 275 of the General Health Law, which establishes: </i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>“It is prohibited for any natural or legal person to contaminate surface waters, subterranean waters, and territorial maritime waters, directly or indirectly, through drainage or the discharge or storage, voluntary or negligent, of residues or liquid, solid, or gaseous waste, radioactive or non-radioactive, blackwater (aguas negras), or substances of any nature that, by altering the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the water, make it dangerous to the health of persons, to terrestrial and aquatic fauna, or unusable for domestic, agricultural, industrial, or recreational uses.”</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'> In this regard, the Legislative Assembly precisely specified which Authorities are especially called upon to prevent contamination caused by blackwater discharges: the Municipalities, the Instituto de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, and the Ministry of Health. </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:34.0pt;line-height:150%'><b>VI.- Municipal competencies regarding sanitary sewerage.</b> In Costa Rica, as is evident from the foregoing, the competence in matters of sanitary sewerage —specifically, regarding the construction and operation of the infrastructure required to correctly dispose of residual waters (aguas residuales)— is established, expressly and implicitly, by common legislation. Although the current Código Municipal does not establish any specific provision regarding this subject, the Chamber has declared, in judgment No. 2002-08696 of 10:14 a.m. on September 6, 2002, that this does not exclude the obligation of municipal entities —evidently, in coordination with the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados which is the governing body par excellence in this matter—, to develop, among other community works, matters relating to adequate aqueduct and sewerage (alcantarillados) systems. Indeed, Article 4, subsection c) of the current Código Municipal establishes in general terms, as a municipal attribution, the administration and provision of municipal public services, within which, without any doubt, aqueduct and sewerage systems are found. For this reason, this Chamber, through judgment number 2001-00591 of 4:54 p.m. on January 23, 2001, indicated the following: </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'> "V.- Regarding the Municipality of Curridabat, as established by Article 169 of the Political Constitution and the Código Municipal, it corresponds to the municipalities to administer local services and interests, with the purpose of promoting the integral development of the cantons in harmony with national development. Consequently, the Municipality must establish an integral policy of urban planning in accordance with the respective law, which pursues the efficient and harmonious development of urban centers and guarantees —at least— efficient electrification and communication services; good systems for the provision of potable water and evacuation of wastewater (aguas servidas), through adequate aqueduct and sewerage (alcantarillado) systems, modern illumination and ornamentation systems for the cities; efficient construction, repair, and cleaning services for streets and other public roads; and in general, concrete and practical plans to make the life of the population comfortable and secure" </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'> Thus, in the referenced resolution No. 2002-08696 of 10:14 a.m. on September 6, 2002, the Chamber concluded that <i>“... the attribution of creating and maintaining sanitary sewerage (alcantarillado sanitario) networks corresponds to the municipalities, because these, according to Article 3 of the current Código Municipal, are the principal obligated parties to look after the interests and cantonal services within the jurisdiction under their charge, and because this is expressly derived from Article 169 of the Political Constitution, which establishes the generic competence of the Municipalities in this matter. However, in consideration of the provisions of Article 2 of the Constitutive Law of the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, this obligation must be shared with the Instituto Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, since this entity, as the governing body of the matter, is responsible at the national level (sic) for directing, coordinating, and monitoring everything concerning the evacuation of blackwater (aguas negras), sewerage (alcantarillados), and contamination of water resources for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Republic.”</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:25.5pt;line-height:150%'><b>VII.- Competencies of the Ministry of Health regarding sanitary sewerage.-</b> Without prejudice to the foregoing, the General Health Law and the Constitutive Law of the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados establish that the technical control of aqueducts and sewerage corresponds, jointly, to the Instituto Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillados and the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Health, within the scope of its competencies, is also directly obligated to act in this matter. In this sense, Article 289 of the General Health Law, regarding sewerage matters, properly speaking, provides the following: </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>"All sewerage (alcantarillado) systems shall remain under the technical control of the Ministry and the Servicio Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillado, and the private or public legal persons that construct, administer, and operate them shall be subject to the norms that the Executive Branch, in consultation with the Servicio Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillado, dictates to condition their construction, operation, and the final evacuation and treatment of effluents."</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'> In accordance with this law, it corresponds to the Minister of the branch to dictate the technical health norms to which natural or legal persons under private or public law must adhere, in the matters that the law itself requires, among which, without any doubt, is everything relating to sanitary sewerage (alcantarillado sanitario). Regarding the Ministry of Health, this Chamber has said on repeated occasions that it has the necessary competence to supervise compliance with the regulations governing the matter, because it is not enough to simply issue sanitary orders without verifying their compliance and sanctioning their non-compliance.” </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:25.5pt;line-height:150%'><b>VIII.- Specific case.</b> It is fully proven that despite repeated complaints from neighbors, and the intervention of the Colegio de Ingenieros y Arquitectos, the problems of discharge of residual waters (negras and servidas) from the Housing Project called Condominio Pie Monte II persist. The foregoing is accepted by the Minister of Health in the report rendered to the Chamber, who also recognizes that non-compliance with the Sanitary Order issued on May 14 of this year still persists, in which a period of 30 days was granted to the condominium developer for the installation of a treatment system for the project's blackwater (aguas negras) and wastewater (aguas servidas). Likewise, the respondent Minister points out that even though the developing company presented an alternative that has lower operation and maintenance costs, the contamination problem continues, so a declaration of uninhabitability (inhabitabilidad) due to insalubrity and eviction of the inhabited apartments is appropriate. In this way, although it is true that the Ministry of Health authorities have sought to address the problem denounced here, the constitutional requirements regarding the fulfillment of the obligations derived from Article 50 and the right to health, developed in the General Health Law in its Articles 2, in relation to 285, 287, 288, 292, 301, and 313, among others, cannot be considered satisfied. On the other hand, the Municipality of San José cannot ignore its duties when approving constructions. In this sense, it was its responsibility to carry out inspections to determine whether the blackwater evacuation was done according to what was authorized. However, in the report rendered to the Chamber, the respondent mayor merely stated that in March 2001, the construction permit was granted for the work, and that he is aware of the need to build a blackwater treatment plant (planta de aguas negras) in said condominium. In this respect, the provisions of Article 1 of the Construction Law are decisive, according to which: </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>“Article 1.- </i></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>The Municipalities of the Republic are responsible for ensuring that cities and other population centers meet the necessary conditions of safety, health, comfort, and beauty in their public roads and in the buildings and constructions erected on the lands thereof, without prejudice to the powers that laws grant in these matters to other administrative bodies”.</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'>On this same point, Article 87 of the same law establishes the following: </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>“Article 87.- </i></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>The Municipality shall exercise surveillance over the works executed in its jurisdiction as well as over the use being made of them. Municipal inspectors are its agents, whose mission is to monitor the observance of the precepts of this Regulation”.</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'> Finally, regarding the prevention of contamination, numeral 60 of the Organic Law of the Environment provides the following: </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>“Article 60.- Prevention and control of contamination</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i> To prevent and control environmental contamination, the State, the municipalities, and other public institutions shall give priority, among others, to the establishment and operation of adequate services in areas fundamental to environmental health, such as:</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>(…) b) The sanitary disposal of excreta, wastewater (aguas servidas), and rainwater (aguas pluviales)”.</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'> Notwithstanding the foregoing, the amparo is inadmissible against the Minister of Environment and Energy, given that no request of any kind has been submitted to that office, nor to the Secretaría Técnica Nacional Ambiental, on behalf of the company JRA Rojo, SA, or the Project called CCN Condominio Piemonto II. Likewise, no type of permit has been granted, nor is there any complaint filed, related to the events that originated this amparo.

**IX.- Conclusion.** From this perspective, the sanitary orders and the measures implemented by the Ministry of Health have proven insufficient to prevent the contamination of the Río Torres caused by the wastewater from the Pie Monte II condominium. The foregoing, added to the omission by the authorities of the Municipality of San José to exercise the oversight powers that the legal system confers upon them to guarantee the right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, results in the detriment of the fundamental rights of the petitioners, and therefore the filed appeal must be granted." However, in accordance with the provisions of Article 2 of the Constitutive Law of the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (Ley Constitutiva del Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados), such obligation must be shared with the National Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (Instituto Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillados), since the latter, as the governing body on the matter, is responsible at the national level (sic) for directing, coordinating, and overseeing everything related to the disposal of black water (aguas negras), sewers (alcantarillados), and contamination of water resources for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Republic."</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:25.5pt;line-height:150%'><span class=SpellE><b>VII</b></span><b>.- Powers of the Ministry of Health regarding sanitary sewers.-</b> Without prejudice to the foregoing recital (considerando), the General Health Law (Ley General de Salud) and the Constitutive Law of the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers establish that the technical control of aqueducts and sewers falls jointly to the National Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers and the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Health, within the scope of its powers, is also directly obligated to act in this matter. In this sense, Article 289 of the General Health Law, regarding the matter of sewers, specifically, provides the following: </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>"Every sewer system shall be under the technical control of the Ministry and the National Aqueduct and Sewer Service (Servicio Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillado) and private or public legal persons constructing, administering, and operating them shall be subject to the rules that the Executive Branch, in consultation with the National Aqueduct and Sewer Service, issues to regulate their construction, operation, and the disposal and final treatment of effluents."</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'>&nbsp;In conformity with this law, it is incumbent upon the Minister of the branch to issue the technical health rules, to which natural or legal persons under private or public law must adhere, in the matters where the law itself so requires, among which, without any doubt, is everything related to sanitary sewers. Regarding the Ministry of Health, this Chamber has stated on repeated occasions that it has the necessary authority to supervise compliance with the regulations governing the matter, because it is not enough simply to issue health orders (órdenes sanitarias) without verifying their compliance and penalizing their non-compliance.” </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:25.5pt;line-height:150%'><span class=SpellE><b>VIII</b></span><b>.- Specific case.</b> It is fully proven that despite the repeated complaints from neighbors, and the intervention of the College of Engineers and Architects (Colegio de Ingenieros y Arquitectos), the problems of discharge of residual waters (aguas residuales) (black and grey) from the Housing Project (Proyecto Habitacional) called Condominio Pie Monte <span class=SpellE>II</span> persist. The foregoing is accepted by the Minister of Health in the report rendered to the Chamber, who also acknowledges that the non-compliance with the Health Order (Orden Sanitaria) issued on May 14 of this year still persists, in which a 30-day period was granted to the condominium developer for the installation of a treatment system for the project's black and grey waters. Likewise, the respondent Minister points out that even though the developing company presented an alternative with lower operation and maintenance costs, the contamination problem continues, which warrants a declaration of uninhabitability (inhabitabilidad) for unsanitary conditions and the eviction of the occupied apartments. Thus, while it is true that the authorities of the Ministry of Health have attempted to address the problem denounced here, the constitutional requirements regarding compliance with the obligations derived from Article 50 and the right to health, developed in the General Health Law in its Articles 2, in relation to 285, 287, 288, 292, 301, and 313, among others, cannot be considered satisfied. On the other hand, the Municipality of San José cannot disengage from its duties either when approving constructions. In this sense, it was its responsibility to perform inspections to determine whether the black water disposal was carried out as authorized. However, in the report rendered to the Chamber, the respondent mayor limited himself to stating that in March 2001, the construction permit for the work was granted, and that he is aware of the need to build a black water treatment plant in said condominium. In this regard, the provisions of Article 1 of the Construction Law (Ley de Construcciones) are decisive, according to which: </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>“Article 1.- </i></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>The Municipalities of the Republic are responsible for ensuring that cities and other populated areas meet the necessary conditions of safety, salubrity, comfort, and beauty in their public thoroughfares and in the buildings and constructions erected on the lands thereof, without prejudice to the faculties that the laws grant on these matters to other administrative bodies”.</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'>On this same subject, Article 87 of the same law establishes the following: </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>“Article 87.- </i></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>The Municipality shall exercise oversight over the works executed in its jurisdiction as well as over the use being made of them. Municipal inspectors are its agents, whose mission is to oversee compliance with the precepts of this Regulation”.</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'>&nbsp;Finally, regarding the prevention of contamination, Section 60 of the Organic Law of the Environment (Ley Orgánica del Ambiente) provides the following: </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>“Article 60.- Prevention and control of contamination</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>&nbsp;To prevent and control environmental contamination, the State, the municipalities, and other public institutions shall give priority, among others, to the establishment and operation of adequate services in fundamental areas for environmental health, such as:</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><i>(…) b) The sanitary disposal of excreta, grey waters (aguas servidas), and stormwater (aguas pluviales)”.</i> </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'>&nbsp;Notwithstanding the foregoing, the amparo is inadmissible with respect to the Minister of Environment and Energy, since no request of any kind has been filed with that office, or with the National Environmental Technical Secretariat (Secretaría Técnica Nacional Ambiental), on behalf of the company <span class=SpellE>JRA</span> Rojo, SA, or the Project called <span class=SpellE>CCN</span> Condominio <span class=SpellE>Piemonto</span> <span class=SpellE>II</span>. Likewise, no type of permit has been granted, nor any complaint filed, related to the events that gave rise to this amparo. </p> <p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:25.5pt;line-height:150%'><span class=SpellE><b>IX</b></span><b>.- Conclusion.</b> From this perspective, the health orders (órdenes sanitarias) and the measures implemented by the Ministry of Health have proven insufficient to prevent the contamination of the Torres River (Río Torres) caused by the residual waters (aguas residuales) of the Pie Monte <span class=SpellE>II</span> condominium. The foregoing, added to the omission of the authorities of the Municipality of San José in exercising the supervisory powers that the legal system confers upon them, to guarantee the right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, results in detriment to the fundamental rights of the amparo petitioners (amparados), therefore it is imperative to grant the remedy filed.”</p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p> </div> </body> </html>

“…II.- Objeto del recurso. El recurrente reclama la violación al derecho a la salud y a la vida, así como a un ambiente sano y ecológicamente equilibrado, debido a la negligencia de las autoridades recurridas en otorgar permisos de construcción en el proyecto habitacional que habitan, sin constatar el cumplimiento de los requisitos legales pertinentes. Afirman que lo anterior, contribuye a la contaminación del Río Torres, provocado por las descargas de aguas negras y residuales sin tratamiento.

III.- Sobre el derecho a la salud y a un ambiente sano. La salud pública y el derecho a un ambiente sano y ecológicamente equilibrado se encuentran reconocidos constitucionalmente (artículos 21, 50, 73 y 89 de la Carta Magna), así como a través de la normativa internacional. En este sentido este Tribunal en sentencia No. 3705-93 de las 15 hrs. del 30 de julio de 1993 indicó lo siguiente:

"...La calidad ambiental es un parámetro de esa calidad de vida; otros parámetros no menos importantes son salud, alimentación, trabajo, vivienda, educación, etc., pero más importante que ello es entender que si bien el hombre tiene el derecho de hacer uso del ambiente para su propio desarrollo, también tiene en deber de protegerlo y preservarlo para el uso de las generaciones presentes y futuras, lo cuál no es tan novedoso, porque no es más que la traducción a esta materia del principio de la "lesión", ya consolidado en el derecho común, en virtud del cuál el legítimo ejercicio de un derecho tiene dos límites esenciales: Por un lado, los iguales derechos de los demás y, por el otro, el ejercicio racional y el disfrute útil del derecho mismo...".

Asimismo, existe una obligación del Estado de proteger el ambiente que se encuentra contemplada que dispone:

" ...Toda persona tiene derecho a un ambiente sano y ecológicamente equilibrado. Por ello está legitimada para denunciar los actos que infrinjan ese derecho y para reclamar la reparación del daño causado..." Esta disposición se complementa por lo establecido en el numeral 11 del "Protocolo Adicional a la Convención Americana sobre Derechos Humanos en materia de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales". Interpretando armónicamente ambas normas, se puede derivar el principio precautorio, según el cual, el Estado tiene que disponer todo lo que sea necesario – dentro del ámbito permitido por la ley – a efecto de impedir que se produzcan daños irreversibles en el medio ambiente. En relación con lo enero de 1998 dispuso:

"...el Estado no solo tiene la responsabilidad ineludible de velar para que la salud de cada una de las personas que componen la comunidad nacional, no sufra daños por parte de terceros, en relación a estos derechos, sino que, además, debe asumir la responsabilidad de lograr las condiciones sociales propicias a fin de que cada persona pueda disfrutar de su salud, entendido tal derecho, como una situación de bienestar físico, psíquico (o mental) y social." Por otra parte, las municipalidades están en la obligación, constitucionalmente impuesta, de velar por los intereses locales en su respectivo cantón (artículo 169 de la Constitución Política) y la normativa legal dispone el deber a la Corporación Municipal de procurar porque el ejercicio de cualquier actividad, cuente con los correspondientes permisos municipales.

IV.- Sobre la obligación del Estado de tutelar la vida humana. Ha sido usual que el derecho a la vida, frecuentemente analizado conjuntamente con el derecho a la integridad física, haya sido entendido como un derecho de contenido negativo, es decir, su objeto se limitaba a la pretensión contra el Estado que se abstuviera de realizar acciones dirigidas a eliminar la existencia física de las personas, por ejemplo la tortura o la pena de muerte, o bien que castigara a las personas, públicas y privadas, que atentaran contra la vida e integridad de los otros, a través del sistema penal; sin embargo, la tendencia actual es imponer al Estado diversas conductas positivas, en el sentido que más allá de perturbar la existencia física de las personas, debe actuar en tutela de su protección, ante los múltiples peligros que la acechan, bien sea que ellos provengan de acciones del Estado mismo o de otras personas, e inclusive, de la misma naturaleza. De ahí que, por ejemplo, los temas ambientales han pasado a ser, al menos en nuestro país, un asunto de índole constitucional, puesto que el derecho a un ambiente sano y ecológicamente equilibrado fue elevado a rango de derecho fundamental. Ahora bien, es menester aclarar que la existencia objetiva de una obligación del Estado en lo referente a la protección del derecho a la vida no apareja, ineludiblemente, un derecho subjetivo de las personas a exigir, a través de los organismos judiciales, que se tome una medida determinada, pero sí a que se tomen las medidas idóneas en tutela de ese derecho, ante actitudes abiertamente negligentes de las autoridades públicas. Se trata así que el Estado adquiere la obligación de regular las áreas de la vida social de las cuales puedan surgir peligros para la existencia física de los habitantes de su territorio, ya sea a través de la ley, de reglamentos, de acuerdos o de otras medidas relacionadas con la organización y los procedimientos administrativos, y del derecho subjetivo de las personas a que así se proceda, en forma diligente. En consecuencia, la posibilidad de exigir, judicialmente, a través del recurso de amparo, un tipo específico de actividad prestacional por parte del Estado en cumplimiento de su deber de protección a la vida e integridad física de sus habitantes, es restringida a la clara verificación de un peligro inminente contra esos derechos de las personas. De lo que se desprende que la injerencia de la jurisdicción constitucional solamente es viable ante la inercia comprobada del Estado, a través de sus órganos competentes, en atender las demandas que en ejercicio de sus derechos realicen los habitantes del país.

V.- Sobre la protección de las aguas. Este Tribunal, en una ya abundante línea jurisprudencial, ha establecido el deber que tienen los órganos del Estado y las corporaciones municipales de preservar el medio ambiente (véase, por ejemplo, la sentencia N° 00644-99 de las 11:24 horas del 29 de enero de 1999). En este contexto, huelga decir que un aspecto sumamente importante de la tutela de la salud pública y del medio ambiente, está conformado por la protección de las reservas de agua, que deben conservarse, por obvias razones, libres de contaminación. El legislador, al percatarse de su capital importancia, estableció un deber del Estado de preservar la pureza de las aguas. En la resolución número 3442-05 de las 19:07 horas del 29 de marzo de 2005, estableció:

“…Así, en lo referente a la evacuación y tratamientos de aguas negras, la Ley Orgánica del Ambiente dispone lo siguiente:

“Artículo 60.- Prevención y control de la contaminación Para prevenir y controlar la contaminación del ambiente, el Estado, las municipalidades y las demás instituciones públicas, darán prioridad, entre otros, al establecimiento y operación de servicios adecuados en áreas fundamentales para la salud ambiental, tales como:

(...) La disposición sanitaria de excretas, aguas servidas y aguas pluviales.

(...) Estos servicios se prestarán en la forma que las leyes y los reglamentos específicos lo determinen, procurando la participación de la población y sus organizaciones.” “Artículo 65.- Tratamiento de aguas residuales Las aguas residuales de cualquier origen deberán recibir tratamiento antes de ser descargadas en ríos, lagos, mares y demás cuerpos de agua: además, deberán alcanzar la calidad establecida para el cuerpo receptor, según su uso actual y potencial y para su utilización futura en otras actividades.” “Artículo 67.- Contaminación o deterioro de cuencas hidrográficas Las personas, físicas o jurídicas, públicas o privadas estarán obligadas a adoptar las medidas adecuadas para impedir o minimizar la contaminación o el deterioro sanitario de las cuencas hidrográficas, según la clasificación de uso actual y potencial de las aguas.” Estas disposiciones se complementan con el artículo 275 de la Ley General de Salud, que establece:

“Queda prohibido a toda persona natural o jurídica contaminar las aguas superficiales, subterráneas y marítimas territoriales, directa o indirectamente, mediante drenajes o la descarga o almacenamiento, voluntario o negligente, de residuos o desechos líquidos, sólidos o gaseosos, radioactivos o no radioactivos, aguas negras o sustancias de cualquier naturaleza que, alterando las características físicas, químicas y biológicas del agua la hagan peligrosa para la salud de las personas, de la fauna terrestre y acuática o inservible para usos domésticos, agrícolas, industriales o de recreación.” En este sentido, la Asamblea Legislativa precisó claramente qué Autoridades están especialmente llamadas a impedir la contaminación provocada por descargas de aguas negras: las Municipalidades, el Instituto de Acueductos y Alcantarillados y el Ministerio de Salud.

VI.- Competencias municipales en materia de alcantarillado sanitario. En Costa Rica, como se desprende de lo expuesto anteriormente, la competencia en materia de alcantarillado sanitario —concretamente, en lo relativo a la construcción y operación de la infraestructura requerida para disponer correctamente de las aguas residuales—, se encuentra establecida, expresa e implícitamente, por la legislación común. Si bien, el actual Código Municipal no establece ninguna disposición específica en cuanto este tema, la Sala ha declarado, en sentencia Nº 2002-08696 de las 10:14 horas del 6 de setiembre del 2002, que esto no excluye la obligación de los entes municipales —evidentemente, en coordinación con el Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados que es el ente rector por excelencia en la materia—, de desarrollar, entre otras obras de carácter comunal, lo relativo a adecuados sistemas de acueductos y alcantarillados. En efecto, el artículo 4 inciso c) del Código Municipal vigente establece en términos generales, como una atribución municipal, el administrar y prestar los servicios públicos municipales, dentro de los cuales, sin duda alguna, se encuentran los sistemas de acueductos y alcantarillados. Por esa razón, esta Sala, mediante sentencia número 2001-00591 de las 16:54 horas del 23 de enero de 2001, indicó lo siguiente:

"V.- En cuanto a la Municipalidad de Curridabat, conforme lo establece el artículo 169 de la Constitución Política y el Código Municipal, corresponde a las municipalidades la administración de los servicios e intereses locales, con el fin de promover el desarrollo integral de los cantones en armonía con el desarrollo nacional. En consecuencia, la Municipalidad debe establecer una política integral de planeamiento urbano de acuerdo con la ley respectiva, que persiga el desarrollo eficiente y armónico de los centros urbanos y que garantice —al menos— eficientes servicios de electrificación y de comunicación; buenos sistemas de provisión de agua potable y evacuación de aguas servidas, mediante adecuados sistemas de acueductos y alcantarillado, modernos sistemas de iluminación y ornato de las ciudades; eficientes servicios de construcción, reparación y limpieza de calles y otras vías públicas; y en general planes concretos y prácticos para hacer confortable y segura la vida de la población" Así las cosas, en la referida resolución Nº 2002-08696 de las 10:14 horas del 6 de setiembre del 2002, la Sala concluyó que “... la atribución de crear y mantener las redes del alcantarillado sanitario, le corresponde a las municipalidades, por cuanto éstas, según el artículo 3 del Código Municipal vigente, son las principales obligadas de velar por los intereses y servicios cantonales dentro de la jurisdicción que tengan a su cargo y porque expresamente así se deriva del artículo 169 de la Constitución Política, que establece la competencia genérica de las Municipalidades en esta materia. Sin embargo, en atención a lo dispuesto por el artículo 2 de la Ley Constitutiva del Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, tal obligación debe ser compartida con el Instituto Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, ya que éste, como órgano rector de la materia, es el encargado a nivel nacional (sic) de dirigir, coordinar y vigilar todo lo concerniente a la evacuación de aguas negras, alcantarillados y contaminación de los recursos de agua en beneficio de los habitantes de la República.” VII.- Competencias del Ministerio de Salud en materia de alcantarillados sanitarios.- Sin perjuicio de lo expuesto en el considerando anterior, la Ley General de Salud y la Ley Constitutiva del Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados establecen que el control técnico de los acueductos y alcantarillados le corresponde, conjuntamente, al Instituto Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillados y al Ministerio de Salud. El Ministerio de Salud, dentro del ámbito de sus competencias, también se encuentra directamente obligado a actuar en esta materia. En ese sentido, el artículo 289 de la Ley General de Salud, en cuanto a la materia del alcantarillado, propiamente, dispone lo siguiente:

"Todo sistema de alcantarillado, quedará bajo el control técnico del Ministerio y del Servicio Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillado y las personas de derecho privado o público que los construyan, administren y operen se sujetarán a las normas que el Poder Ejecutivo, en consulta con el Servicio Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillado, dicte para condicionar su construcción, funcionamiento y la evacuación y tratamiento final de los fluentes." De conformidad con esta ley, le corresponde al Ministro del ramo dictar las normas técnicas de salud, a las cuales deben ceñirse las personas físicas o jurídicas de derecho privado o público, en las materias en que la propia ley lo requiera, entre las cuales, sin duda alguna, se encuentra lo relativo al alcantarillado sanitario. En lo concerniente al Ministerio de Salud, esta Sala ha dicho en reiteradas ocasiones que éste tiene la competencia necesaria para fiscalizar el cumplimiento de la normativa que rige la materia, porque no basta simplemente con dictar órdenes sanitarias sin verificar su cumplimiento y sancionar su incumplimiento.” VIII.- Caso concreto. Se encuentra plenamente acreditado que a pesar de las reiteradas denuncias de los vecinos, y la intervención de Colegio de Ingenieros y Arquitectos, los problemas de desfogue de las aguas residuales (negras y servidas) del Proyecto Habitacional denominado Condominio Pie Monte II persisten. Lo anterior es aceptado por la Ministra de Salud en el informe rendido a la Sala, quien además reconoce que aún persiste el incumplimiento de la Orden Sanitaria emitida el 14 de mayo de este año, en la que se otorgó el plazo de 30 días al desarrollador del condominio para la instalación de un sistema de tratamiento para las aguas negras y servidas del proyecto. Asimismo, la Ministra accionada señala que aún cuando la empresa desarrolladora presentó una alternativa que presenta costos de operación y mantenimiento menores, el problema de contaminación continúa, por lo que procede la declaratoria de inhabitabilidad por insalubridad y desalojo de los apartamentos habitados. De este modo, si bien es cierto las autoridades del Ministerio de Salud han procurado para enfrentar el problema aquí denunciado, no pueden tenerse por satisfechas las exigencias constitucionales en cuanto al cumplimiento de las obligaciones derivadas del artículo 50 y del derecho a la salud, desarrolladas en la Ley General de Salud en sus artículos 2º, en relación con 285, 287, 288,292, 301 y 313, entre otros. Por otra parte, la Municipalidad de San José tampoco puede desentenderse de sus cometidos al aprobar las construcciones. En este sentido, le correspondía realizar las inspecciones para determinar que la evacuación de aguas negras se hiciera conforme lo autorizado. Sin embargo, en el informe rendido a la Sala, el alcalde accionado se limitó a manifestar que en marzo del 2001 se otorgó el permiso de construcción para la obra, y que tiene conocimiento de la necesidad de construir una planta de aguas negras en dicho condominio. Al respecto, es determinante lo dispuesto en el artículo 1 de la Ley de Construcciones, según el cual:

“Artículo 1.- Las Municipalidades de la República son las encargadas de que las ciudades y demás poblaciones reúnan las condiciones necesarias de seguridad, salubridad, comodidad y belleza en sus vías públicas y en los edificios y construcciones que en terrenos de las mismas se levanten sin perjuicio de las facultades que las leyes conceden en estas materias a otros órganos administrativos”.

Sobre este mismo particular, el artículo 87 de la misma ley establece lo siguiente:

“Artículo 87.- La Municipalidad ejercerá vigilancia sobre las obras que se ejecuten en su jurisdicción así como sobre el uso que se les esté dando. Los inspectores municipales son sus agentes, que tienen por misión vigilar la observancia de los preceptos de este Reglamento”.

Por último, respecto de la prevención de contaminación, el numeral 60 de la Ley Orgánica del Ambiente, dispone lo siguiente:

“Artículo 60.- Prevención y control de la contaminación Para prevenir y controlar la contaminación del ambiente, el Estado, las municipalidades y las demás instituciones públicas, darán prioridad, entre otros, al establecimiento y operación de servicios adecuados en áreas fundamentales para la salud ambiental, tales como:

(…) b) La disposición sanitaria de excretas, aguas servidas y aguas pluviales”.

No obstante lo señalado anteriormente, el amparo resulta improcedente en cuanto al Ministro de Ambiente y Energía, toda vez que ante ese despacho, ni ante la Secretaría Técnica Nacional Ambiental se ha presentado solicitud de ningún tipo a nombre de la sociedad JRA Rojo, SA, o del Proyecto denominado CCN Condominio Piemonto II. Asimismo, tampoco se ha otorgado ningún tipo de permiso otorgado, ni existe denuncia alguna presentada, relacionada con los hechos que originaron el presente amparo.

IX.- Conclusión. Desde esta perspectiva, las órdenes sanitarias y las medidas implementadas por el Ministerio de Salud, han resultado insuficientes para impedir la contaminación del Río Torres causada por las aguas residuales del condominio Pie Monte II. Lo anterior, sumado a la omisión de las autoridades de la Municipalidad de San José en ejercer las potestades fiscalizadoras que el ordenamiento jurídico les confiere, para garantizar el derecho a un ambiente sano y ecológicamente equilibrado, redunda en detrimento de los derechos fundamentales de los amparados, por lo que se impone acoger el recurso planteado.”