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Res. 12260-2007 Sala Constitucional · Sala Constitucional · 2007
OutcomeResultado
The amparo is partially granted for violation of Articles 21 and 50 of the Constitution, ordering the Municipality of Goicoechea, AyA, and the Ministry of Health to pay costs, damages, and losses in the abstract; it is dismissed regarding the rights to timely justice and green areas.Se declara parcialmente con lugar el amparo por violación a los artículos 21 y 50 constitucionales, condenando en abstracto a la Municipalidad de Goicoechea, al AyA y al Ministerio de Salud al pago de costas, daños y perjuicios; se declara sin lugar en cuanto al derecho a justicia pronta y a zonas verdes.
SummaryResumen
The Constitutional Chamber hears an amparo against the Municipality of Goicoechea, the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA), and the Ministry of Health, regarding the obstruction of the storm drainage system in the IMAS housing development in Los Cuadros de Purral. The petitioner claims that accumulated trash and stagnant water cause contamination and endanger her family's health, with no effective action taken by the authorities. The Chamber reiterates that the right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment under Article 50 of the Constitution is inseparable from the rights to health and life, and that administrative omissions in environmental matters have constitutional relevance. It analyzes the competencies of each respondent —AyA as normative authority and operator of urban stormwater systems, the municipality as administrator of local interests, and the Ministry of Health as guarantor of public health— and concludes that all failed in their duties of coordination and action. It partially grants the amparo for violation of Articles 21 and 50 of the Constitution, ordering the three entities to pay abstract costs, damages, and losses, and dismisses the claims regarding timely justice and green areas.La Sala Constitucional conoce un recurso de amparo contra la Municipalidad de Goicoechea, el Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA) y el Ministerio de Salud, por la obstrucción del alcantarillado pluvial en la Urbanización IMAS de Los Cuadros de Purral. La recurrente alega que la acumulación de basura y aguas estancadas genera contaminación y pone en peligro la salud de su familia, sin que las autoridades hayan actuado eficazmente. La Sala reitera que el derecho a un ambiente sano y ecológicamente equilibrado, consagrado en el artículo 50 constitucional, es inseparable del derecho a la salud y a la vida, y que las omisiones de la Administración en materia ambiental tienen relevancia constitucional. Analiza las competencias de cada entidad recurrida —el AyA como rector normativo y operador de los sistemas pluviales urbanos, la municipalidad como administradora de los intereses locales, y el Ministerio de Salud como garante de la salubridad pública— y concluye que todas incumplieron sus deberes de coordinación y acción. Declara parcialmente con lugar el amparo por violación de los artículos 21 y 50 de la Constitución, condenando en abstracto a las tres entidades al pago de costas, daños y perjuicios, y declara sin lugar los reclamos sobre justicia pronta y zonas verdes.
Key excerptExtracto clave
Given that the reported problem generates environmental contamination and consequently poses a danger to the health of the area's inhabitants, the Chamber finds that the omissions attributed to the respondents violate Articles 21 and 50 of the Political Constitution. Therefore, the only course of action is to grant this part of the amparo, albeit solely under the terms of Article 50 of the Law governing this jurisdiction, to order the respondent authorities to pay the costs, damages, and losses caused, in light of the works that the Goicoechea Municipality authorities have indicated were carried out.En virtud de que el problema denunciado genera la contaminación del medio ambiente y, en consecuencia, constituye un peligro para la salud de los habitantes de la zona, estima la Sala que las omisiones atribuidas a los recurridos atentan contra lo dispuesto en los artículos 21 y 50 de la Constitución Política. Así las cosas, no procede otra cosa más que declarar la estimatoria del presente extremo del recurso planteado aunque únicamente en los términos del artículo 50 de la Ley que rige esta jurisdicción, a efectos de condenar a las autoridades recurridas al pago de las costas, daños y perjuicios ocasionados, debido a los trabajos que indican las autoridades de la Municipalidad de Goicoechea se han realizado.
Pull quotesCitas destacadas
"las omisiones al deber de protección del ambiente y de cumplimiento de la normativa ambiental son de relevancia constitucional, por cuanto a consecuencia de la inercia de la Administración en esta materia, se puede producir un daño al ambiente, a los recursos naturales y a la salud de los habitantes, a veces, de similares o mayores consecuencias, que de las derivadas de las actuaciones de la Administración"
"omissions of the duty to protect the environment and to comply with environmental regulations are of constitutional relevance, since as a result of the Administration's inertia in this matter, harm can be caused to the environment, natural resources, and the health of inhabitants, sometimes with similar or greater consequences than those arising from the Administration's actions"
Considerando III
"las omisiones al deber de protección del ambiente y de cumplimiento de la normativa ambiental son de relevancia constitucional, por cuanto a consecuencia de la inercia de la Administración en esta materia, se puede producir un daño al ambiente, a los recursos naturales y a la salud de los habitantes, a veces, de similares o mayores consecuencias, que de las derivadas de las actuaciones de la Administración"
Considerando III
"la protección del ambiente, es una tarea que corresponde a todos por igual, es decir, que existe una obligación para el Estado -como un todo- de tomar las medidas necesarias para proteger el medio"
"the protection of the environment is a task that falls equally upon everyone, meaning there is an obligation for the State—as a whole—to take the necessary measures to protect the environment"
Considerando IV
"la protección del ambiente, es una tarea que corresponde a todos por igual, es decir, que existe una obligación para el Estado -como un todo- de tomar las medidas necesarias para proteger el medio"
Considerando IV
"el derecho a un ambiente sano y equilibrado (artículo 50 de la Constitución Política) y su relación con el derecho a la vida y a la salud (numeral 21 ibídem), la Sala ha desarrollado de manera amplia este aspecto"
"the right to a healthy and balanced environment (Article 50 of the Political Constitution) and its relationship with the right to life and health (numeral 21 thereof), the Chamber has extensively developed this aspect"
Considerando III
"el derecho a un ambiente sano y equilibrado (artículo 50 de la Constitución Política) y su relación con el derecho a la vida y a la salud (numeral 21 ibídem), la Sala ha desarrollado de manera amplia este aspecto"
Considerando III
Full documentDocumento completo
I.- Purpose of the appeal. The appellant alleges that the stormwater drainage system (alcantarillado pluvial) in the IMAS Urbanization of Los Cuadros de Purral, Arriba de Goicoechea, is not working because it is obstructed, which causes garbage to accumulate and water to flood the street, with consequent contamination problems and danger to her health and that of her family. She also claims that several years ago she filed a claim with the Municipality of Goicoechea regarding the collection of the stormwater drainage fee, without having received any response to date. Furthermore, she argues that the respondent Municipality charges taxes for parks and green areas, which her children have never been able to enjoy because they are nonexistent.
III.- Regarding the right to a healthy and balanced environment. Regarding the right to a healthy and balanced environment (Article 50 of the Political Constitution) and its relationship with the right to life and health (numeral 21 ibidem), the Chamber has extensively developed this aspect. In this regard, in judgment No. 5691-98 of seventeen hours fifteen minutes of August 5, 1998, it was stated:
"The Chamber's concern for ecological stability and harmony has been steadfast, since protecting nature, which is world heritage, also means safeguarding not only the life and health of man, but also that of humanity on earth, thus developing the content, not only of the international conventions on this matter, but also of Article 21 of our Political Constitution. This is demonstrated, directly, through the judgments issued after the 1994 reform of Article 50 of the Constitution, and even before, through resolutions in which, as the Chamber has stated, 'the right to live in a healthy environment has been seen as an inevitable corollary of the right to health, which –in turn– derives from the principle of the inviolability of life.' As can be deduced from the preceding transcription, the Chamber's criterion has been consistent in the sense that the right to the environment is inseparable from the right to health and the right to life. Thus, constitutional protection covers and links the ecologically balanced environment with the fundamental right to health, both on the psychological and physical planes, as a mechanism to give effect to the principle contained in Article 21 of the Political Constitution of the Republic, which states: 'Human life is inviolable.' In this same vein, in judgment number 5668-94 of eighteen hours of September 28, 1994:
"I.- This Chamber, on several occasions, has established the importance of environmental protection, an importance that derives directly from the text of numeral 50 of the Political Constitution, according to the reform carried out through law number 7412 published in La Gaceta number 111 of June 10, 1994, which in its second paragraph provides:
'... Every person has the right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment. Therefore, they are entitled to denounce acts that infringe that right and to claim reparation for the damage caused ...'.
In this respect, in vote number 3705-93 of fifteen hours of July 30, 1993, it was stated that:
'... Environmental quality is a fundamental 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 although man has the right to use the environment for his own development, he also has the 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 matter of the principle of "harm", 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 ...'.
In relation to the present case, it is important to take into account the extensive jurisprudential development that the Chamber has carried out regarding the obligation of state entities to guarantee citizens a healthy and ecologically balanced environment and consequently to guarantee the health of the population. This obligation varies according to the sphere of competence of each body, but it is nonetheless of general application.
On the other hand, omissions of the duty to protect the environment and to comply with environmental regulations are of constitutional relevance, since as a consequence of the Administration's inertia in this matter, damage can be caused to the environment, to natural resources, and to the health of the inhabitants, sometimes with similar or greater consequences than those derived from the Administration's actions; such as the authorization of regulatory plans, or constructions without the approval of the environmental impact assessment (estudio de impacto ambiental) by the National Environmental Technical Secretariat (Secretaría Técnica Nacional Ambiental, SETENA), or the lack of control and oversight in the execution of management plans for protected areas by the General Directorate of Wildlife (Dirección General de Vida Silvestre) of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Ministerio del Ambiente y Energía, MINAE), or allowing the operation of businesses without health permits regarding the treatment of black or residual waters (Water and Sewer Authority (Acueductos y Alcantarillados) and Ministry of Health), or not verifying sonic controls in bars, karaokes, and discotheques (municipalities and Ministry of Health), etc.
IV.- Principle of Coordination. On various occasions, constitutional jurisprudence has indicated that the protection of the environment is a task that falls to everyone equally, that is, that there is an obligation for the State -as a whole- to take the necessary measures to protect the environment, in order to avoid degrees of contamination, deforestation, extinction of flora and fauna, excessive or inadequate use of natural resources, which endanger the health of the administered. In this task, by public institution, it must be understood to include both the Central Administration -Ministries, such as the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) and the Ministry of Health, which by reason of the subject matter, have broad participation and responsibility regarding the conservation and preservation of the environment; which act, most of the time, through their specialized dependencies on the matter, such as, for example, the General Directorate of Wildlife, the Forestry Directorate (Dirección Forestal), and the National Environmental Technical Secretariat (SETENA); as well as decentralized institutions, such as the National Institute of Housing and Urbanism (Instituto Nacional de Vivienda y Urbanismo), SENARA, the Costa Rican Institute of Tourism (Instituto Costarricense de Turismo), or the Costa Rican Institute of Water and Sewer Systems (Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, AyA); a task in which municipalities, of course, have great responsibility, with respect to their territorial jurisdiction. It is for this reason, that one might think that this multiple responsibility would cause chaos in administrative management, which is not true, because in order to avoid the simultaneous coexistence of spheres of power of different origin and essence, the duplication of national and local efforts, as well as the confusion of rights and obligations among the various parties involved, it is necessary to establish a series of coordination relationships among the various dependencies of the Executive Branch and the decentralized institutions, and between these and the municipalities, in order to be able to carry out the functions that have been entrusted to them. This Chamber previously -and quite clearly- referred to the principle of coordination of public dependencies with municipalities in the realization of common purposes -which, obviously, must be extended to the relationship that the institutions of the Central Administration and the decentralized ones carry out in this important function-, for which it refers to what was indicated on that occasion (judgment number 5445-99, of fourteen hours thirty minutes of July 14, 1999):
"So coordination is the ordering of relationships between these diverse independent activities, which takes charge of that concurrence on a single object or entity, to make it useful to a global public plan, without suppressing the reciprocal independence of the agent subjects. As there is no hierarchical relationship between decentralized institutions, nor between the State itself in relation to the municipalities, it is not possible to impose certain behaviors on them, thus the indispensable inter-institutional 'concert' arises, in the strict sense, in that the autonomous and independent centers of action agree on that preventive and global scheme, in which each one plays a role with a view to a mission entrusted to the others. Thus, the relationships of the municipalities with other public entities can only be carried out on a plane of equality, resulting in agreed forms of coordination, to the exclusion of any imperative form to the detriment of their autonomy, that allows subjecting corporate entities to a coordination scheme without their will or against it; but which does admit the necessary subordination of these entities to the State and in the interest of the latter (through the 'administrative tutelage' of the State, and specifically, in the function of legality control that corresponds to it, with general surveillance powers over the entire sector)." V.- Specific case. According to what was alleged by the appellant, the stormwater drainage system (alcantarillado pluvial) that exists in the IMAS Urbanization of Los Cuadros de Purral, Arriba de Goicoechea, is not working because it is obstructed, which causes garbage to accumulate and water to flood the street, with consequent contamination problems and danger to her health and that of her family. In this regard, the Mayor, the President of the Municipal Council, the Director of Engineering and Operations, the Administrative Director, and the Head of the Cadastre Department, all of the Municipality of Goicoechea, indicate that in the vicinity of Mrs. Fernández's home, there is a drain inlet (tragante) of the pluvial system built in that sector, from which it has been verified that it discharges waters of non-pluvial origin, which cause sedimentation of sludge and these in turn bad odors and obstruction of the underground pipes, which ultimately produces the accumulation of water. – Various alternatives have been assessed, due to the affectation in question, to solve the problem afflicting the appellant, determining the most viable to be the construction of a pipe crossing, oriented east-west, so that the waters that at that moment pond up, flow in that direction. The entity in charge of the oversight and pertinent measures related to the disposal of waters of non-pluvial origin into public pluvial systems is the Ministry of Health. – To carry out the proposed works, specialized machinery, a "backhoe," is required, but it has been out of service due to mechanical failures for several months, but the necessary repairs have been made and it will be ready in the course of the week. – To eliminate the affectation suffered by the appellant, the works will be scheduled in the course of the present week and executed at the latest in the week between February 26 and March 2 of this year. Meanwhile, the Minister of Health indicates that the protected party has not filed any complaint before the local level (Governing Health Area Goicoechea (área rectora de salud Goicoechea)) and the Executive President of the Costa Rican Institute of Water and Sewer Systems (AyA) points out that Article 169 of the Political Constitution and the Municipal Code indicate that the Municipality is the territorial entity that must guarantee the fulfillment of obligations for local interests in an original and primary manner, that it must instrumentalize the necessary actions for the development of activities in its canton, with stormwater drainage (alcantarillado pluvial) being within its competence.
VI.- Responsibility of the Municipality of Goicoechea in the reported events. Based on the foregoing statements, the lack of coordination among the respondent authorities to address the situation raised by the protected party is evident. Apart from the lack of definition of responsibilities towards the same. This has caused enormous harm to the residents of the IMAS Urbanization of Los Cuadros de Purral, in which a series of problems have been generated due to the malfunctioning of the stormwater drainage system (alcantarillado pluvial). In this regard, it is convenient to take into account what is established in Article 169 of the Political Constitution in relation to the Municipal Regime:
"Article 169.- The Administration of the local interests and services in each canton will be in charge of the Municipal Government, formed by a deliberative body, composed of municipal council members (regidores municipales) of popular election, and an executive official designated by law." For its part, the Municipal Code, in Article 4, regulates the attributions of the municipalities:
"Article 4.- The municipality possesses the political, administrative, and financial autonomy conferred by the Political Constitution. Within its attributions are included:
VII.- Responsibility of the Costa Rican Institute of Water and Sewer Systems (AyA) in the reported events. Regarding the powers of the Costa Rican Institute of Water and Sewer Systems (AyA), it is necessary to refer to what is established by the Constitutive Law of the Institute, in this sense:
"Article 1: With the purpose of directing, setting policies, establishing and applying norms, carrying out and promoting planning, financing, and development, and resolving everything related to the supply of potable water and collection and evacuation of black waters and liquid industrial wastes, as well as the normative aspect of stormwater drainage (alcantarillado pluvial) systems in urban areas, for the entire national territory, the Costa Rican Institute of Water and Sewer Systems (Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados) is created, as an autonomous institution of the State." "Article 2: It corresponds to the Costa Rican Institute of Water and Sewer Systems (AyA):
Under no concept may it delegate the administration of the water and sanitary sewer systems of the Metropolitan Area.
Nor may it delegate the administration of the systems over which there exists financial responsibility and while this corresponds directly to the Institute.
The institution is empowered to agree with local bodies on the administration of such services or to administer them through administrative boards (juntas administradoras) of mixed integration between the Institute and the respective communities, provided this is convenient for the better provision of services and in accordance with the respective regulations.
For the same reasons and with the same characteristics, regional administrative boards that involve several municipalities may also be created; (…)" In accordance with the foregoing, Law 2726, reformed by Law 5915, created the Costa Rican Institute of Water and Sewer Systems (AyA) with the purpose of directing, setting policies, establishing and applying norms, carrying out and promoting planning, financing, and development, and resolving everything related to the supply of potable water and collection and evacuation of black waters and liquid industrial wastes, as well as the normative aspect of stormwater drainage (alcantarillado pluvial) systems in urban areas, for the entire national territory. Consequently, if the law grants the Costa Rican Institute of Water and Sewer Systems (AyA) national competence to attend to everything related to the supply of potable water and collection, the Institute must act to safeguard receiving a good provision of the service and the evacuation of black waters and liquid industrial wastes, in the face of a poor provision of this service by the Users' Association (Asociación de Usuarios), the Municipalities, or any other entity or institution to which it has been delegated, so that the constitutional right to health is preserved.
Attending to what was set forth in the preceding recitals (considerandos) and taking into account the problems with the stormwater drainage (alcantarillado pluvial) alleged by the appellant and accepted by the respondent authorities of the Municipality of Goicoechea, in this Chamber's criterion, the excuses expressed are not acceptable and, on the contrary, a breach of the exercise of the residual competencies imposed by law on the Costa Rican Institute of Water and Sewer Systems (AyA) is verified.
VIII.- Responsibility of the Ministry of Health in the reported events. For its part, the Ministry of Health, within the scope of its competencies, is also directly obligated to act in this matter. In this sense, the General Health Law (Ley General de Salud) number 5395, in its Article 341, establishes:
"Article 341.- They may, likewise, within the mentioned attributions and jurisdictions, order and take the special measures enabled by this law to avoid risk or damage to the health of persons or that these spread or worsen, and to inhibit the continuation or recidivism in the infringement by individuals." Specifically in the matter of sewer systems, Article 289 of that law establishes the following:
"Every sewer system will be under the technical control of the Ministry and the National Water and Sewer Service (Servicio Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillado) and the persons of private or public law that construct, administer, and operate them will be subject to the norms that the Executive Branch, in consultation with the National Water and Sewer Service, issues to condition their construction, operation, and the evacuation and final treatment of effluents." In accordance with this law, it corresponds to the Minister to issue the technical health norms to which natural or legal persons of private or public law must adhere in matters that the law itself requires, among which, without a doubt, is everything related to sanitary sewer systems. From the evidence provided to the case file and from the reports rendered under oath, it is verified that the Ministry of Health has not carried out any type of action to protect the health of individuals or to guarantee the enjoyment of a healthy environment in the vicinity of the place where the protected party lives. On the contrary, the head of that Ministry in her report merely affirms that she has not received any complaint in this regard. Such an aspect, in the criterion of the Chamber and for the purposes of the specific case, loses relevance in the face of a reality such as that accepted by the representatives of the respondent Municipality regarding the stormwater drainage (alcantarillado pluvial), despite the fact that the Ministry of Health has the legal, moral, and constitutional obligation to watch over the protection and preservation of a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, it is not doing so, but rather, with its omission to act, it is allowing this to happen and to continue repeating indiscriminately over time. As could be observed above, the General Health Law itself establishes that every sewer system will be under the technical control of the Ministry and that it, has the obligation to avoid risk or damage to the health of persons as well as the spread of diseases; however, despite this requirement having been assigned to the respondent Ministry, it has omitted to fulfill its legal duty and, on the contrary, has permitted situations such as the one reported to arise, for which reason, the appeal is admissible with respect to this institution.
IX.- Conclusions. There are several conclusions easily drawn from the foregoing, namely: 1) All the inhabitants of the country are holders of the right to enjoy a healthy and ecologically balanced environment; 2) It falls to the State -including the municipalities as entities responsible for looking after local interests- to guarantee, defend, and preserve that right; 3) It is of public interest the design, financing, execution, operation, and maintenance of the works required for the collection, treatment, and final disposal of ordinary-type wastewater generated in urban centers, where individual solutions for wastewater disposal are technically and environmentally not adequate; 4) By law, the Costa Rican Institute of Water and Sewer Systems (AyA) was created as the public entity in charge of directing, setting policies, establishing and applying norms, carrying out and promoting planning, financing, and development, and resolving everything related to the supply of potable water and collection and evacuation of black waters and liquid industrial wastes, as well as the normative aspect of stormwater drainage (alcantarillado pluvial) systems in urban areas, for the entire national territory. This entity is responsible, among other things, for directing and overseeing everything concerning providing the inhabitants of the republic with a service of potable water, collection and evacuation of black waters and liquid industrial wastes and of pluvial waters in urban areas. It must advise other State bodies and coordinate public and private activities in all matters relating to the establishment of water and sewer systems and the control of water resource contamination, with its consultation being mandatory in all cases, and compliance with its recommendations inexcusable; 5) By legal imperative, it falls to the Costa Rican Institute of Water and Sewer Systems (AyA) to directly administer and operate the water and sewer systems throughout the country, although the systems currently administered and operated by municipal corporations may continue to be in charge of these, but the Constitutive Law of that entity is very clear in establishing that this is so 'as long as they provide efficient service.'; 6) To guarantee compliance with the regulations in protection of the environment and human health, the General Health Law confers powers of authority on health authorities with a view to enforcing, even through the use of public force, the provisions and orders they issue in the exercise of their competencies. By virtue of what has been set forth, the Chamber considers that both the Municipality of Goicoechea, the Institute of Water and Sewer Systems (Instituto de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, AyA), and the Ministry of Health have omitted to carry out the necessary actions to prevent and solve the existing problem regarding the inoperability of the stormwater drainage (alcantarillado pluvial) in the IMAS Urbanization of Los Cuadros de Purral. Given that the reported problem generates contamination of the environment and, consequently, constitutes a danger to the health of the inhabitants of the area, the Chamber considers that the omissions attributed to the respondents violate what is stipulated in Articles 21 and 50 of the Political Constitution. Thus, there is no other course than to declare this part of the appeal admissible, although only under the terms of Article 50 of the Law governing this jurisdiction, for the purpose of ordering the respondent authorities to pay the costs, damages, and losses caused, due to the works that the authorities of the Municipality of Goicoechea indicate have been carried out.
X.- On the right to obtain prompt and complete administrative justice. In reiterated pronouncements, the Chamber has indicated that in the administrative venue, the provisions of Article 41 of the Political Constitution are also applicable, which literally states: "Resorting to the laws, everyone must find reparation for the injuries or damages they have received in their person, property, or moral interests. They must be given prompt and complete justice, without denial, and in strict accordance with the laws." Regarding prompt justice, it is evident that the excessive and unjustified duration of administrative proceedings implies a clear violation of this principle, since the claims and appeals brought to the knowledge of the Administration must be resolved, for reasons of legal certainty, in reasonably short timeframes. However, this does not mean the constitutionalization of a right to specific timeframes, but rather the right of every person to have their case resolved within a reasonable time, which must be established on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the complexity of the matter, the conduct of the litigants and the authorities, the consequences of the delay for the parties, and the ordinary guidelines and margins of the type of proceeding in question. In the case before us, it has been duly accredited that the claim regarding the collection of the Stormwater Drainage Rate (Tasa de Alcantarillado Pluvial), filed by the appellant and her husband, Mr. Adonis Umaña Lobo, was addressed through official letter DAD 2629 of October 3, 2003, signed by Licenciado Sahid Salazar Castro, Administrative Director, denying them the submitted request, on the grounds that their property has access to the stormwater drainage (alcantarillado pluvial) service and therefore is subject to the collection of said rate. Consequently, the appeal regarding this point is considered inadmissible.
XI.- On the right to enjoy a green recreation area.
Of importance for the resolution on that point, it should be noted that this Chamber has on previous occasions ruled on the right of the residents of a particular community to enjoy a green recreation area (zona verde de esparcimiento) within their residential development (urbanización), which is part of the quality of life that the Political Constitution guarantees. Specifically, in judgment number 2000-04332 of ten hours one minute on May 19, 2000, this Chamber stated in the relevant part:
"...this Court has held in its repeated case law the right of all to enjoy a healthy and ecologically balanced environment. This fundamental right is developed, among others, in laws such as the Urban Planning Law (Ley de Planificación Urbana), which obligates the developer (urbanizador) to establish areas that must be designated for parks and communal green areas. When dealing with residential developments established under the validity of that law, the green areas previously established and approved by the Municipality fulfill the specific purpose of serving the community in which the land is located, since the cost of those areas, for obvious reasons, has been borne by the residents, upon paying the price of the land where they have built their homes, hence their purpose is to serve them for the integral development of their capabilities.
III.- Article 40 of the Urban Planning Law (Ley de Planificación Urbana) provides that 'No less than one third of the area represented by the percentage set in accordance with the preceding paragraph shall be applied unavoidably to the use of a park, but reserving in the first instance from that third the space or spaces necessary for a children's playground (campo o campos de juegos infantiles) or playgrounds, in a proportion that is not less than ten square meters per family. The remaining two thirds of the referred percentage or the remainder thereof available after covering the park needs shall serve to install communal facilities that in principle the subdivider (fraccionador) or developer (urbanizador) proposes...' The mere reading of that norm allows one to reach the certainty that the legislator, in development of the supreme charter, has established the obligatory existence of green areas and parks for the enjoyment of the community..." The right to enjoy green areas within residential developments (urbanizaciones) must be guaranteed by the municipal authority as the entity responsible for watching over local interests, according to the provisions of Article 168 of the Political Constitution. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the specific case it can be inferred from the evidence existing in the case file (expediente) and from the reports rendered under oath, that Los Cuadros de Goicoechea is a social interest project that was created by the State and whose lands are still registered in the name of the Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social. Likewise, that for the purpose of maintaining all the parks in the district and not only the park closest to the plaintiff's (recurrente) house, in addition to all the green areas that exist in said district, which are quite extensive, such as riverbanks, the respective fee (tasa) is established and the same is included in the receipt for the collection of urban services. In the specific case of the Los Cuadros development, where the protected party (amparada) lives, the parks and green areas that exist there, although they have not yet been finalized by the project developer, which is the Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social, (IMAS), as indicated, the Municipality of Goicoechea has been providing the necessary maintenance to said lands, in an effort to protect public health and the right of the inhabitants of Los Cuadros to a healthy environment, so periodically cleanings are performed using machinery (backhoes and wagons), on all the lands in Los Cuadros that will become parks and green areas, in addition to the maintenance clearing (chapeas) of said properties; tasks which have a very significant cost for the municipal coffers, and which must be passed on to the district residents through the respective collection of fees (tasas). Under that context, it is considered that on that point, no constitutional violation has occurred to the detriment of the protected party (amparada).
XII.- By reason of the foregoing, the amparo is considered admissible only for violation of the rights protected in Articles 21 and 50 of the Political Constitution, considering it meritorious to declare the appeal without merit regarding the other allegations made." e) To collect and administer, in its capacity as tax administration, the municipal taxes and other revenues.
**VII.- Responsibility of the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados in the reported events.** Regarding the powers of the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA), it is necessary to refer to what is established by the Constitutive Law of the Institute, in this sense:
"*Article 1: With the purpose of directing, setting policies, establishing and applying norms, carrying out and promoting the planning, financing, and development, and of resolving everything related to the supply of potable water and the collection and evacuation of black water and liquid industrial waste, as well as the normative aspect of storm sewer systems in urban areas, for the entire national territory, the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados is created, as an autonomous institution of the State.*" "*Article 2: It corresponds to the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados:* *a) To direct and oversee everything concerning providing the inhabitants of the republic with a service of potable water, collection and evacuation of black water and liquid industrial waste, and stormwater in urban areas;* *(…)*" "*g) To directly administer and operate the aqueduct and sewer systems throughout the country, which will be assumed taking into account convenience and availability of resources. The systems that are currently administered and operated by the municipal corporations may remain under their charge, as long as they provide an efficient service.* *Under no concept may it delegate the administration of the aqueduct and sanitary sewer systems of the Metropolitan Area.* *Nor may it delegate the administration of systems for which financial responsibility exists and while this corresponds directly to the Institute.* *The institution is empowered to arrange with local bodies, the administration of such services or to administer them through administration boards of mixed integration between the Institute and the respective communities, whenever this is suitable for the better provision of the services and in accordance with the respective regulations.* *For the same reasons and with the same characteristics, regional administration boards involving several municipalities may also be created;* *(…)*” In accordance with the above, Law 2726, reformed by Law 5915, created the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados with the purpose of directing, setting policies, establishing and applying norms, carrying out and promoting the planning, financing, and development, and of resolving everything related to the supply of potable water and the collection and evacuation of black water and liquid industrial waste, as well as the normative aspect of storm sewer systems in urban areas, for the entire national territory. Consequently, if the law grants the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados national competence to attend to everything related to the supply of potable water and collection, the Institute must act in safeguarding the receipt of good service provision and the evacuation of black water and liquid industrial waste. Faced with poor provision of this service by the Users' Association, the Municipalities, or any other entity or institution to which it has been delegated, it must ensure that the constitutional right to health is preserved.
In light of what was stated in the preceding considering clauses and taking into account the problems with the storm sewer system alleged by the appellant and accepted by the respondent authorities of the Municipality of Goicoechea, in the opinion of this Chamber, the excuses expressed are not acceptable, and on the contrary, a failure to exercise the residual competences imposed by law on the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados is verified.
**VIII.- Responsibility of the Ministry of Health in the reported events.** For its part, the Ministry of Health, within the scope of its competences, is also directly obligated to act in this matter. In that sense, the General Health Law number 5395, in its article 341, establishes:
"*Article 341.- They may, likewise, within the mentioned attributions and jurisdictions, order and take the special measures enabled by this law to avoid risk or damage to the health of persons or for these to spread or worsen, and to inhibit the continuation or recurrence of the infraction by individuals*" Specifically in the matter of sewerage, article 289 of that law establishes the following:
"*Every sewer system shall be under the technical control of the Ministry and the Servicio Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillado, and the private or public legal persons that build, administer, and operate them shall be subject to the norms that the Executive Power, in consultation with the Servicio Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillado, dictates to condition their construction, functioning, and the final evacuation and treatment of effluents.*" In accordance with this law, it is the responsibility of the Minister to dictate the technical health norms to which physical or legal persons of private or public law must adhere in the matters that the law itself requires, among which, without a doubt, is everything related to sanitary sewerage. From the evidence provided to the case file and from the reports rendered under the faith of the oath, it is verified that the Ministry of Health has not carried out any type of action to protect the health of individuals nor to guarantee the enjoyment of a healthy environment in the vicinity of the place where the protected party lives. On the contrary, the head of that Ministry, in her report, limits herself to affirming that she has not received any complaint in this regard. Such an aspect, in the opinion of the Chamber and for the effects of the specific case, loses relevance in the face of a reality accepted by the representatives of the defendant Municipality regarding the storm sewer system. Despite the fact that the Ministry of Health has the legal, moral, and constitutional obligation to watch over the protection and preservation of a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, it is not doing so, but rather, through its omission to act, is allowing this to happen and to continue being repeated indiscriminately over time. As could be observed above, the General Health Law itself establishes that every sewer system shall be under the technical control of the Ministry and that the latter has the obligation to avoid risk or damage to the health of persons as well as the spread of diseases. However, despite the fact that this requirement has been assigned to the respondent Ministry, it has omitted to comply with its legal duty and, on the contrary, has allowed situations such as the one denounced to occur, for which reason the recourse is admissible against this institution.
**IX.- Conclusions.** There are several conclusions easily drawn from the foregoing, namely: 1) All inhabitants of the country are entitled to the right to enjoy a healthy and ecologically balanced environment; 2) It is the responsibility of the State – including the municipalities as entities in charge of looking after local interests – to guarantee, defend, and preserve that right; 3) The design, financing, execution, operation, and maintenance of the works required for the collection, treatment, and final disposal of ordinary wastewater generated in urban centers, where individual solutions for wastewater disposal are technically and environmentally not adequate, are of public interest; 4) By law, the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados was created as the public entity in charge of directing, setting policies, establishing and applying norms, carrying out and promoting the planning, financing, and development, and of resolving everything related to the supply of potable water and the collection and evacuation of black water and liquid industrial waste, as well as the normative aspect of storm sewer systems in urban areas, for the entire national territory. That entity is responsible, among other things, for directing and overseeing everything concerning providing the inhabitants of the republic with a service of potable water, collection and evacuation of black water and liquid industrial waste, and stormwater in urban areas. It must advise the other State bodies and coordinate public and private activities in all matters relating to the establishment of aqueducts and sewers and the control of water resource contamination, its consultation being obligatory in every case, and the fulfillment of its recommendations inexcusable; 5) By legal imperative, it is the responsibility of the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados to directly administer and operate the aqueduct and sewer systems throughout the country, although the systems that are currently administered and operated by the municipal corporations may remain under their charge, but the Constitutive Law of that entity is very clear in establishing that this is so "as long as they provide an efficient service."; 6) To guarantee compliance with the regulations protecting the environment and human health, the General Health Law confers police powers upon the health authorities with a view to enforcing, even by means of the public force, the provisions and orders they issue in the exercise of their competences. By virtue of the foregoing, the Chamber considers that the Municipality of Goicoechea, the Instituto de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, and the Ministry of Health have all omitted to carry out the necessary actions to prevent and solve the existing problem regarding the inoperability of the storm sewer system in the Urbanización IMAS of Los Cuadros de Purral. Given that the reported problem generates contamination of the environment and, consequently, constitutes a danger to the health of the zone's inhabitants, the Chamber considers that the omissions attributed to the respondents violate the provisions of articles 21 and 50 of the Political Constitution. Therefore, there is no other option but to declare the present aspect of the filed recourse admissible, although only under the terms of article 50 of the Law that governs this jurisdiction, for the purpose of condemning the respondent authorities to pay the costs, damages, and losses caused, due to the works that the authorities of the Municipality of Goicoechea indicate have been carried out.
**X.- On the right to obtain prompt and complete administrative justice.** In reiterated pronouncements, the Chamber has indicated that in the administrative venue, it is also appropriate to apply the provisions of article 41 of the Political Constitution, which literally states: "*By resorting to the laws, everyone must find reparation for the injuries or damages they have received in their person, property, or moral interests. Justice must be done to them promptly and completely, without denial and in strict conformity with the laws.*" Regarding prompt justice, it is evident that the excessive and unjustified duration of administrative processes implies a clear violation of that principle, because the claims and recourses brought to the knowledge of the Administration must be resolved, for reasons of legal certainty, in reasonably short time frames. However, this does not mean the constitutionalization of a right to specific time limits, but rather the right of every person to have their cause resolved within a reasonable time frame, which must be established on a case-by-case basis, considering the complexity of the matter, the conduct of the litigants and the authorities, the consequences of the delay for the parties, and the ordinary guidelines and margins of the type of process in question. In the case at hand, it has been duly proven that the claim regarding the charge for the Storm Sewer Tax, filed by the appellant and her husband, Mr. Adonis Umaña Lobo, was addressed through official communication DAD 2629 of October 3, 2003, signed by Licentiate Sahid Salazar Castro, Administrative Director, denying the request presented, on the grounds that her property has access to the storm sewer service and therefore is subject to the charge of said tax. Consequently, it is considered that the amparo regarding this aspect is inadmissible.
**XI.- On the right to enjoy a green recreational area.** Of importance for the resolution of this aspect, it must be indicated that this Chamber, in previous opportunities, has pronounced on the right of the neighbors of a specific community to enjoy a green recreational area within their development, which is part of the quality of life that the Political Constitution guarantees. Specifically, in judgment number 2000-04332 at ten hours and one minute on May 19, 2000, this Chamber indicated in the relevant part:
"*...this Tribunal has sustained in its reiterated jurisprudence the right of all to enjoy a healthy and ecologically balanced environment. This fundamental right is developed, among others, in laws such as the Urban Planning Law, which obliges the developer to establish areas that must be destined for parks and communal green areas. When it concerns developments established under the validity of that law, the green areas previously established and approved by the Municipality fulfill the specific purpose of serving the community in which the land is located, since the cost of those areas, for obvious reasons, has been borne by the neighbors, upon paying the price of the land where they have built their homes, hence their purpose is to serve them for the integral development of their capacities.* *III.- Article 40 of the Urban Planning Law provides that 'No less than one third of the area represented by the percentage fixed pursuant to the preceding paragraph shall inevitably be applied to park use, but reserving in the first term from that third the space or spaces necessary for a children's playground or playgrounds, in a proportion that is no less than ten square meters per family. The remaining two thirds of the referred percentage or the remnant thereof that remains available after covering the park needs shall serve to install communal facilities that in principle are proposed by the subdivider or developer... .' The mere reading of that norm allows one to arrive at the certainty that the legislator, in development of the supreme charter, has established the obligatory existence of green areas and parks for the community's enjoyment...*" The right to enjoy green areas within developments must be guaranteed by the municipal authority as the entity in charge of looking after local interests, according to the provisions of article 168 of the Political Constitution. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the specific case, it is discernible from the evidence in the case file and from the reports rendered under oath, that Los Cuadros de Goicoechea is a social interest project created by the State and whose lands are still registered in the name of the Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social. Likewise, that with the purpose of maintaining all the parks of the district and not only the park closest to the appellant's house, in addition to all the green areas that exist in said district, which are quite extensive, such as riverbanks, the respective tax charge is established and it is included in the receipt for the collection of urban services. In the specific case of the Los Cuadros development, where the protected party lives, the parks and green areas that exist there, although they have not yet been finalized by the project developer, which is the Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social (IMAS), as indicated, the Municipality of Goicoechea has been providing the necessary maintenance to said lands, in an effort to safeguard public health and the right of Los Cuadros inhabitants to a healthy environment. Therefore, clean-ups are periodically carried out using machinery (backhoes and trucks), on all the lands in Los Cuadros that will be parks and green areas, in addition to the maintenance mowing of said properties. These tasks have a very significant cost for the municipal coffers, which must be passed on to the district's neighbors through the respective tax charges. Under that context, it is considered that regarding that aspect, no constitutional violation has occurred to the detriment of the protected party.
XII.- Based on the foregoing, the amparo is considered admissible solely for the violation of the rights protected in articles 21 and 50 of the Political Constitution, and it is deemed meritorious to declare the recourse without merit regarding the other claims alleged.” Thus, the relations of the municipalities with other public entities can only take place on a plane of equality, resulting in agreed-upon forms of coordination, excluding any imperative form detrimental to their autonomy, that would allow subjecting the corporate entities to a scheme of coordination without their will or against it; but which does admit the necessary subordination of these entities to the State and in the interest of the latter (through the "administrative oversight (tutela administrativa)" of the State, and specifically, in the function of legality control that corresponds to it, with powers of general oversight over the entire sector)." **V.- Specific Case**. According to what was alleged by the appellant, the storm sewer (alcantarillado pluvial) that exists in the IMAS Urbanization of Los Cuadros de Purral, Arriba de Goicoechea, does not work because it is obstructed, which causes garbage to accumulate and water to flood the street, with the consequent problems of contamination and danger to her health and that of her family. In this regard, the Mayor, the President of the Municipal Council, the Director of Engineering and Operations, the Administrative Director, and the Head of the Cadastre Department, all of the Municipality of Goicoechea, indicate that near the home of Mrs. Fernández, there is a drain of the storm sewer system built in that sector, and it has been verified that it discharges water of non- pluvial origin, which causes sedimentation of sludge and these in turn bad odors and obstruction of the underground pipes, which ultimately produces the accumulation of water. – Various alternatives have been evaluated by virtue of the affectation in question, to provide a solution to the problem afflicting the appellant, determining as the most viable, the construction of a pipe crossing, oriented east-west, so that the waters that at that time are ponding, flow in that direction. The entity in charge of inspection and pertinent measures referring to the discharge of water of non-pluvial origin, into the public storm sewer systems is the Ministry of Health. – To carry out the proposed works, specialized machinery, “back hoc”, is required, but it has been out of service for several months due to mechanical failures, but the necessary repairs have been made and it will be ready within the week. – To eliminate the affectation suffered by the appellant, the works will be scheduled within the current week and executed no later than the week between February 26 and March 2 of this year. Meanwhile, the Minister of Health indicates that the protected party has not filed any complaint with the local level (health governing area Goicoechea) and the Executive President of the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados points out that Article 169 of the Political Constitution and the Municipal Code indicate that the Municipality is the territorial entity that must guarantee compliance with obligations for local interests in an original and primary manner, which must implement the necessary actions for the development of activities in its canton, with storm sewers (alcantarillado pluvial) being its responsibility.
**VI.- Responsibility of the Municipality of Goicoechea for the reported events.** Based on the foregoing statements, the lack of coordination of the ruled-against authorities to address the situation raised by the protected party is evident, aside from the lack of definition of responsibilities towards it. This has caused enormous harm to the residents of the IMAS Urbanization of Los Cuadros de Purral, where a series of problems have been generated due to the malfunctioning of the storm sewer (alcantarillado pluvial). In this regard, it is appropriate to take into account what is established in Article 169 of the Political Constitution in relation to the Municipal Regime:
"Article 169.- The Administration of local interests and services in each canton shall be in charge of the Municipal Government, formed by a deliberative body, composed of popularly elected municipal councilors, and an executive official designated by law." For its part, the Municipal Code, in Article 4, regulates matters relating to the powers of the municipalities:
"Article 4.- The municipality possesses the political, administrative, and financial autonomy conferred upon it by the Political Constitution. Within its powers are included:
**VII.- Responsibility of the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados for the reported events.** Regarding the powers of the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (A y A), it is necessary to refer to what is established in the Constitutive Law of the Institute, in this sense: "Article 1: With the purpose of directing, setting policies, establishing and applying norms, carrying out and promoting planning, financing, and development, and of resolving everything related to the supply of drinking water and the collection and evacuation of wastewater (aguas negras) and liquid industrial waste (residuos industriales líquidos), as well as the normative aspect of storm sewer (alcantarillado pluvial) systems in urban areas, for the entire national territory, the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados is created as an autonomous institution of the State." "Article 2: It corresponds to the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados:
Under no circumstances may it delegate the administration of the aqueduct and sanitary sewer systems of the Metropolitan Area.
Nor may it delegate the administration of systems for which there is financial responsibility and while this corresponds directly to the Institute.
The institution is empowered to agree with local bodies on the administration of such services or to administer them through administrative boards (juntas administradoras) of mixed integration between the Institute and the respective communities, whenever it is agreed upon for the better provision of services and in accordance with the respective regulations.
For the same reasons and with the same characteristics, regional administrative boards may also be created involving several municipalities; (…)” In accordance with the foregoing, Law 2726, reformed by Law 5915, created the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados with the purpose of directing, setting policies, establishing and applying norms, carrying out and promoting planning, financing, and development, and of resolving everything related to the supply of drinking water and the collection and evacuation of wastewater (aguas negras) and liquid industrial waste (residuos industriales líquidos), as well as the normative aspect of storm sewer (alcantarillado pluvial) systems in urban areas, for the entire national territory. Consequently, if the law grants the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados national competence to handle everything related to the supply of drinking water and collection, the Institute must act to safeguard the receipt of a good provision of the service and the evacuation of wastewater (aguas negras) and liquid industrial waste (residuos industriales líquidos), in the face of a poor provision of this service by the Users' Association, the Municipalities, or any other entity or institution to which it has been delegated, so that the constitutional right to health is preserved.
Bearing in mind what was stated in the preceding recitals and considering the problems with the storm sewer (alcantarillado pluvial) that the appellant alleges and the ruled-against authorities of the Municipality of Goicoechea accept, in the opinion of this Chamber the excuses expressed are not acceptable and, on the contrary, a breach in the exercise of the residual competencies imposed by law on the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados is verified.
**VIII.- Responsibility of the Ministry of Health for the reported events**. For its part, the Ministry of Health, within the scope of its competencies, is also directly obligated to act in this matter. In this sense, the General Health Law number 5395, in its Article 341, establishes:
"Article 341.- They may, likewise, within the aforementioned powers and jurisdictions, order and take the special measures enabled by this law to prevent the risk or harm to the health of persons or for these to spread or worsen, and to prevent the continuation or recurrence in the infraction by private individuals" Specifically regarding sewer systems (alcantarillado), Article 289 of that law establishes the following:
"Every sewer system (sistema de alcantarillado) shall be under the technical control of the Ministry and the Servicio Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillado and the private or public law 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, issues to condition their construction, functioning, and the final evacuation and treatment of effluents." In accordance with this law, it corresponds to the Minister to dictate the technical health norms to which natural or legal persons of private or public law must adhere in matters that the law itself requires, among which, without a doubt, is found what is related to sanitary sewers. From the evidence provided in the case file and from the reports rendered under the faith of the oath, it is verified that the Ministry of Health has not carried out any type of action to protect the health of individuals or to guarantee the enjoyment of a healthy environment in the vicinity of the place where the protected party lives. On the contrary, the head of that Ministry in her report limits herself to affirming that she has not received any complaint in that regard. This aspect, in the opinion of the Chamber and for the purposes of the specific case, loses relevance in the face of a reality such as that accepted by the officials of the respondent Municipality regarding the storm sewer (alcantarillado pluvial), despite the fact that the Ministry of Health has the legal, moral, and constitutional obligation to oversee the protection and preservation of a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, it is not doing so, but rather, with its omission to act, is allowing it to happen and to continue repeating itself indiscriminately over time. As could be observed supra, the General Health Law itself establishes that every sewer system (sistema de alcantarillado) shall be under the technical control of the Ministry and that it has the obligation to prevent the risk or harm to the health of persons as well as the spread of diseases; however, in spite of the fact that this requirement has been assigned to the respondent Ministry, it has omitted to comply with its legal duty and, on the contrary, has allowed situations such as the one reported to occur, for which reason, the appeal is appropriate regarding this institution.
**IX.- Conclusions.** Several conclusions are easily drawn from the foregoing, namely: 1) All the inhabitants of the country are holders of the right to enjoy a healthy and ecologically balanced environment; 2) It corresponds to the State -including the municipalities as entities responsible for looking after local interests- to guarantee, defend, and preserve that right; 3) The design, financing, execution, operation, and maintenance of the works required for the collection, treatment, and final disposal of ordinary wastewater (aguas residuales de tipo ordinario) generated in urban centers, where individual technical and environmental solutions for the disposal of wastewater (aguas residuales) are not adequate, is of public interest; 4) By law, the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados was created as a public entity in charge of directing, setting policies, establishing and applying norms, carrying out and promoting planning, financing, and development, and of resolving everything related to the supply of drinking water and the collection and evacuation of wastewater (aguas negras) and liquid industrial waste (residuos industriales líquidos), as well as the normative aspect of storm sewer (alcantarillado pluvial) systems in urban areas, for the entire national territory. To that entity corresponds, among other things, to direct and supervise everything concerning providing the inhabitants of the republic with a service of drinking water, collection, and evacuation of wastewater (aguas negras) and liquid industrial waste (residuos industriales líquidos) and of stormwater (aguas pluviales) in urban areas. It must advise the other State bodies and coordinate public and private activities in all matters related to the establishment of aqueducts and sewers (alcantarillados) and control of the contamination of water resources, its consultation being, in any case, mandatory, and compliance with its recommendations inexcusable; 5) By legal imperative, it is the responsibility of the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados to directly administer and operate the aqueduct and sewer systems throughout the country, although the systems that are currently administered and operated by the municipal corporations may remain in their charge, but the Constitutive Law of that entity is very clear in establishing that this is so "as long as they provide efficient service."; 6) To guarantee compliance with the regulations in protection of the environment and human health, the General Health Law confers powers of enforcement (potestades de imperio) upon the health authorities with a view to enforcing, even through the use of public force, the provisions and orders they issue in the exercise of their competencies. By virtue of the foregoing, the Chamber deems that both the Municipality of Goicoechea, the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, and the Ministry of Health have omitted to carry out the actions necessary to prevent and solve the existing problem regarding the inoperability of the storm sewer (alcantarillado pluvial) in the IMAS Urbanization of Los Cuadros de Purral. Inasmuch as the reported problem generates contamination of the environment and, consequently, constitutes a danger to the health of the inhabitants of the area, the Chamber deems that the omissions attributed to the respondents violate the provisions of Articles 21 and 50 of the Political Constitution. Accordingly, there is no recourse other than to declare the granting of this extreme of the filed appeal, although only in the terms of Article 50 of the Law governing this jurisdiction, in order to condemn the respondent authorities to the payment of court costs, damages, and losses caused, due to the works that the authorities of the Municipality of Goicoechea indicate have been carried out.
**X.- On the right to obtain prompt and complete administrative justice**. In reiterated pronouncements the Chamber has indicated that in administrative venue it is also appropriate to apply the provisions of Article 41 of the Political Constitution, which literally states: "Resorting to the laws, all must find reparation for the injuries or damages they have received in their person, property, or moral interests. They must be given prompt and complete justice, without denial and in strict conformity with the laws". Regarding prompt justice, it is evident that the excessive and unjustified duration of administrative proceedings implies a clear violation of that principle, since the claims and appeals brought to the attention of the Administration must be resolved, for reasons of legal certainty, in reasonably short periods. However, this does not mean the constitutionalization of a right to deadlines, but rather the right of every person to have their cause resolved within a reasonable period, which must be established casuistically, considering the complexity of the matter, the conduct of the litigants and the authorities, the consequences for the parties of the delay, and the ordinary patterns and margins of the type of process in question. In the case before us, it has been duly accredited that the claim regarding the charge for the Storm Sewer Fee (Tasa de Alcantarillado Pluvial), filed by the appellant and her spouse, Mr. Adonis Umaña Lobo, was addressed through official letter DAD 2629 of October 3, 2003, signed by Licenciado Sahid Salazar Castro, Administrative Director, denying the request submitted, on the grounds that her property has access to the storm sewer (alcantarillado pluvial) service and, therefore, is subject to the charge of said fee. Consequently, it is considered that the amparo regarding this extreme is inadmissible.
**XI.- On the right to enjoy a green recreation area**. Of importance for the resolution of this extreme, it must be noted that this Chamber on previous occasions has ruled on the right of the residents of a given community to enjoy a green recreation area (zona verde de esparcimiento) within their urbanization, which is part of the quality of life that the Political Constitution guarantees. Specifically in judgment number 2000-04332 at ten hours and one minute on May 19, 2000, this Chamber stated in the pertinent part:
"...this Tribunal has sustained in its reiterated jurisprudence the right of all to enjoy a healthy and ecologically balanced environment. This fundamental right is developed, among others, in laws such as Urban Planning, which obligates the developer (urbanizador) to the establishment of areas that must be destined for parks and communal green areas. When dealing with urbanizations established under the validity of that law, the green areas (áreas verdes) previously established and approved by the Municipality, fulfill the specific purpose of serving the community in which the land is located, since the cost of those areas, for obvious reasons, has been borne by the neighbors, when paying the price of the land where they have built their homes, hence their purpose is to serve them for the integral development of their capabilities.
<span lang=EN style='mso-ansi-language:EN'>III.- Article 40 of the Urban Planning Law provides that “No less than one third of the area represented by the percentage fixed pursuant to the preceding paragraph shall be applied unfailingly to park use, but reserving first from that third the space or spaces necessary for a children’s playground or playgrounds, in a proportion of not less than ten square meters per family. The remaining two-thirds of the referred percentage or the remainder thereof that remains available after covering the park needs shall serve to install community facilities that the subdivider or developer initially proposes…” The mere reading of that norm allows one to arrive at the certainty that the legislator, in development of the supreme charter, has established the obligatory existence of green areas (zonas verdes) and parks for the enjoyment of the community…”</span><span lang=EN style='mso-ansi-language:EN'> </span> <span lang=EN style='mso-ansi-language:EN'>The right to enjoy green areas within residential subdivisions must be guaranteed by the municipal authority as the entity charged with safeguarding local interests, as provided in Article 168 of the Political Constitution. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the specific case it can be inferred from the evidence existing in the case file and the reports rendered under oath that Los Cuadros de Goicoechea is a social-interest project that was created by the State and whose lands are still registered in the name of the Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social. Likewise, that for the purpose of maintaining all the parks of the district and not only the park closest to the petitioner’s house, in addition to all the green areas that exist in said district, which are quite extensive, such as riverbanks, the respective fee is collected and included in the urban services bill. In the specific case of the Los Cuadros development, where the protected party resides, the parks and green areas that exist there, although they have not yet been completed by the project developer, which is the Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social (IMAS), as indicated, the Municipality of Goicoechea has been providing the necessary maintenance to said lands, in an effort to safeguard public health and the right of the inhabitants of Los Cuadros to a healthy environment, for which reason cleanings are carried out periodically using machinery (backhoes and wagons) on all the lands in Los Cuadros that will be parks and green areas, in addition to maintenance weed-clearing (chapeas) of said properties; tasks that entail a very significant cost for the municipal coffers, and which must be passed on to the district’s residents through the respective fee collection. Under that context, it is considered that on this point, no constitutional violation has occurred to the detriment of the protected party. </span> <b><span lang=EN style='mso-ansi-language:EN'>XII.-</span></b><span lang=EN style='mso-ansi-language:EN'> By reason of the foregoing, the amparo is considered appropriate solely for violation of the rights protected in Articles 21 and 50 of the Political Constitution, and it is deemed meritorious to declare the appeal without merit as to the other pleaded points.” </span>
“I.- Objeto del recurso. La recurrente alega que el alcantarillado pluvial que existe en la Urbanización IMAS de Los Cuadros de Purral, Arriba de Goicoechea, no sirve pues se encuentra obstruido, lo cual provoca que la basura se acumule y el agua inunde la calle, con los consecuentes problemas de contaminación y el peligro para su salud y la de su familia. Asimismo, acusa que desde hace varios años presentó ante la Municipalidad de Goicoechea un reclamo por el cobro de la tasa de alcantarillado pluvial, sin que a la fecha haya recibido respuesta alguna. Además, argumenta que la Municipalidad recurrida cobra impuestos por parques y zonas verdes, los cuales sus hijos nunca han podido disfrutar porque son inexistentes.
III.Respecto al derecho a un ambiente sano y equilibrado. En cuanto al derecho a un ambiente sano y equilibrado (artículo 50 de la Constitución Política) y su relación con el derecho a la vida y a la salud (numeral 21 ibídem), la Sala ha desarrollado de manera amplia este aspecto. En este sentido en sentencia No. 5691-98 de las diecisiete horas quince minutos del 5 de agosto de 1998, se dijo:
“La inquietud de la Sala por la estabilidad y la armonía ecológica ha sido férrea, pues proteger la naturaleza, que es patrimonio mundial, es también salvaguardar no solo la vida del hombre y su salud, sino también la de la humanidad sobre la tierra, desarrollando de esta forma el contenido, no solo de los convenios internacionales en esa materia, sino también el artículo 21 de nuestra Constitución Política. Esto se pone de manifiesto, directamente, a través de las sentencias dictadas después de la reforma de 1994, del artículo 50 constitucional, y desde antes, por medio de las resoluciones en que, como lo ha dicho la Sala, “el derecho a vivir en un ambiente sano se ha visto como un corolario inevitable del derecho a la salud, que –a su vez- deviene del principio de inviolabilidad de la vida”.
Como se desprende de la anterior transcripción, el criterio de la Sala ha sido conteste en el sentido de que el derecho al ambiente es inescindible del derecho a la salud y el derecho a la vida. Así las cosas, la protección constitucional cubre y vincula el ambiente ecológicamente equilibrado con el derecho fundamental a la salud, tanto en el plano psíquico como en el físico, como mecanismo de hacer efectivo el principio contenido en el artículo 21 de la Constitución Política de la República que establece: “La vida humana es inviolable”. En este mismo sentido, en sentencia número 5668-94 de las dieciocho horas del 28 de setiembre de 1994:
"I.- Esta Sala, en varias ocasiones ha establecido la importancia de la protección ambiental, importancia que deriva directamente del texto del numeral 50 de la Constitución Política, según reforma operada mediante ley número 7412 publicada en La Gaceta número 111 de 10 de junio de 1994, que en su párrafo segundo 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 ...".
Al respecto en el voto número 3705-93 de las quince horas del 30 de julio de 1993, se dijo que:
"... La calidad ambiental es un parámetro fundamental 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 ...".
En relación con el caso de marras, es importante tener en cuenta el amplio desarrollo jurisprudencial que ha realizado la Sala en relación con la obligación de las entidades estatales de garantizar a los ciudadanos un ambiente sano y ecológicamente equilibrado y consecuentemente garantizar la salud de la población. Esta obligación varía de acuerdo con la esfera de competencias de cada órgano, pero aún así es de aplicación general.
Por otro lado, las omisiones al deber de protección del ambiente y de cumplimiento de la normativa ambiental son de relevancia constitucional, por cuanto a consecuencia de la inercia de la Administración en esta materia, se puede producir un daño al ambiente, a los recursos naturales y a la salud de los habitantes, a veces, de similares o mayores consecuencias, que de las derivadas de las actuaciones de la Administración; como lo es la autorización de planes reguladores, o construcciones sin la aprobación del estudio de impacto ambiental por parte de la Secretaría Técnica Nacional Ambiental, o la falta de control y fiscalización en la ejecución de los planes de manejo de las áreas protegidas por parte de la Dirección General de Vida Silvestre del Ministerio del Ambiente y Energía, o el permitir el funcionamiento de empresas sin los permisos de salud en lo que respecta al tratamiento de aguas negras o residuales (Acueductos y Alcantarillados y Ministerio de Salud), o no verificar los controles sónicos en bares, karaokes y discotecas. (municipalidades y Ministerio de Salud), etc.
IV.- Principio de Coordinación. En diversas oportunidades, la jurisprudencia constitucional ha indicado que la protección del ambiente, es una tarea que corresponde a todos por igual, es decir, que existe una obligación para el Estado -como un todo- de tomar las medidas necesarias para proteger el medio, a fin de evitar grados de contaminación, deforestación, extinción de flora y fauna, uso desmedido o inadecuado de los recursos naturales, que pongan el peligro la salud de los administrados. En esta tarea, por institución pública, debe entenderse comprendida tanto la Administración Central -Ministerios, como el Ministerio del Ambiente y Energía y el Ministerio de Salud, que en razón de la materia, tienen una amplia participación y responsabilidad en lo que respecta a la conservación y preservación del ambiente; los cuales actúan, la mayoría de las veces, a través de sus dependencias especializadas en la materia, como por ejemplo, la Dirección General de Vida Silvestre, la Dirección Forestal, y la Secretaría Técnica Nacional Ambiental (SETENA); así como también las instituciones descentralizadas, caso del Instituto Nacional de Vivienda y Urbanismo, el SENARA, el Instituto Costarricense de Turismo o el Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados; tarea en la que por supuesto tienen gran responsabilidad las municipalidades, en lo que respecta a su jurisdicción territorial. Es por ello, que podría pensarse que esta múltiple responsabilidad provocaría un caos en la gestión administrativa, lo cual no es cierto, por cuanto a fin de evitar la coexistencia simultánea de esferas de poder de diferente origen y esencia, la duplicación de los esfuerzos nacionales y locales, así como la confusión de derechos y obligaciones entre las diversas partes involucradas, es que se hace necesario establecer una serie de relaciones de coordinación entre las diversas dependencias del Poder Ejecutivo y las instituciones descentralizadas, y entre éstas con las municipalidades, a fin de poder llevar a cabo las funciones que les han sido encomendadas. Esta Sala con anterioridad -y en forma bastante clara- se refirió al principio de coordinación de las dependencias públicas con las municipalidades en la realización de fines comunes -lo cual, obviamente se debe hacer extensivo a la relación que en esta importante función realizan las instituciones de la Administración Central y las descentralizadas-, para lo cual se remite a lo indicado en aquella ocasión (sentencia número 5445-99, de las catorce horas treinta minutos del 14 de julio de 1999):
"De manera que la coordinación es la ordenación de las relaciones entre estas diversas actividades independientes, que se hace cargo de esa concurrencia en un mismo objeto o entidad, para hacerla útil a un plan público global, sin suprimir la independencia recíproca de los sujetos agentes. Como no hay una relación de jerarquía de las instituciones descentralizadas, ni del Estado mismo en relación con las municipalidades, no es posible la imposición a éstas de determinadas conductas, con lo cual surge el imprescindible "concierto" interinstitucional, en sentido estricto, en cuanto los centros autónomos e independientes de acción se ponen de acuerdo sobre ese esquema preventivo y global, en el que cada uno cumple un papel con vista en una misión confiada a los otros. Así, las relaciones de las municipalidades con los otros entes públicos, sólo pueden llevarse a cabo en un plano de igualdad, que den como resultado formas pactadas de coordinación, con exclusión de cualquier forma imperativa en detrimento de su autonomía, que permita sujetar a los entes corporativos a un esquema de coordinación sin su voluntad o contra ella; pero que sí admite la necesaria subordinación de estos entes al Estado y en interés de éste (a través de la "tutela administrativa" del Estado, y específicamente, en la función de control la legalidad que a éste compete, con potestades de vigilancia general sobre todo el sector)." V.- Caso concreto. Según lo alegado por la recurrente, el alcantarillado pluvial que existe en la Urbanización IMAS de Los Cuadros de Purral, Arriba de Goicoechea, no sirve pues se encuentra obstruido, lo cual provoca que la basura se acumule y el agua inunde la calle, con los consecuentes problemas de contaminación y el peligro para su salud y la de su familia. Al respecto, el Alcalde, el Presidente del Concejo Municipal, el Director de Ingeniería y Operaciones, el Director Administrativo y el Jefe del Departamento de Catastro, todos de la Municipalidad de Goicoechea, indican que en las cercanías de la vivienda de la señora Fernández, se ubica un tragante del sistema pluvial construido en ese sector, del que se ha comprobado que el mismo descarga aguas de origen no pluvial, las que causan sedimentación de lodos y estos a su vez malos olores y obstrucción a las tuberías subterráneas, lo que en última instancia produce la acumulación de aguas. – Se ha procedido a valorar distintas alternativas, en virtud de la afectación en cuestión, para darle solución a la problemática que aqueja a la recurrente, determinando como la más viable, la construcción de un cruce de tubería, orientado en sentido este-oeste, para que las aguas que en ese momento se empozan, discurran en ese sentido. El ente encargado de la fiscalización y medidas pertinentes referidas a la deposición de aguas de origen no pluvial, en los sistemas públicos pluviales es el Ministerio de Salud. – Para realizar las obras propuestas se requiere de maquinaria especializada, “back hoc”, pero el mismo se encuentra fuera de servicio, producto de fallas mecánicas, durante varios meses, pero se le han realizado las reparaciones necesarias y estará listo en el transcurso de la semana. – Para eliminar la afectación que sufre la recurrente, las obras serán programadas en el transcurso de la presente semana y ejecutadas a más tardar en la semana comprendida entre los días 26 de febrero y 2 de marzo del presente año. Mientras que la Ministra de Salud indica que la amparada no ha interpuesto denuncia alguna ante el nivel local (área rectora de salud Goicoechea) y el Presidente Ejecutivo del Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados señala que el artículo 169 de la Constitución Política y el Código Municipal, indican que la Municipalidad es el ente territorial que debe garantizar el cumplimiento de las obligaciones por los intereses locales en forma originaria y primaria, que debe instrumentalizar las acciones necesarias para el desarrollo de las actividades en su cantón, siendo de su competencia el alcantarillado pluvial.
VI.- Responsabilidad de la Municipalidad de Goicoechea en los hechos denunciados. A partir de las anteriores manifestaciones, resulta evidente la falta de coordinación de las autoridades recurridas para atender la situación planteada por la amparada. Aparte de la falta de definición de las responsabilidades para con la misma. Ello ha provocado un enorme perjuicio a los vecinos de la Urbanización IMAS de Los Cuadros de Purral, en la que se ha generado una serie de problemas debido al mal funcionamiento del alcantarillado pluvial. Al respecto, es conveniente tomar en cuenta lo establecido en el artículo 169 de la Constitución Política en relación con el Régimen Municipal:
"Artículo 169.- La Administración de los intereses y servicios locales en cada cantón, estará a cargo del Gobierno Municipal, formado de un cuerpo deliberante, integrado por regidores municipales de elección popular, y de un funcionario ejecutivo que designará la ley." Por su parte el Código Municipal, en el artículo 4 regula lo relativo a las atribuciones de las municipalidades:
"Artículo 4.- La municipalidad posee la autonomía política, administrativa y financiera que le confiere la Constitución Política. Dentro de sus atribuciones se incluyen:
VII.- Responsabilidad del Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados en los hechos denunciados. En cuanto a las potestades del Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (A y A), es menester remitirnos a lo que establece la Ley Constitutiva del Instituto, en este sentido:
“Artículo 1: Con el objeto de dirigir, fijar políticas, establecer y aplicar normas, realizar y promover el planeamiento, financiamiento y desarrollo y de resolver todo lo relacionado con el suministro de agua potable y recolección y evacuación de aguas negras y residuos industriales líquidos, lo mismo que el aspecto normativo de los sistemas de alcantarillado pluvial en áreas urbanas, para todo el territorio nacional se crea el Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, como institución autónoma del Estado.” “Artículo 2: Corresponde al Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados:
Bajo ningún concepto podrá delegar la administración de los sistemas de acueductos y alcantarillado sanitario del Área Metropolitana.
Tampoco podrá delegar la administración de los sistemas sobre los cuales exista responsabilidad financiera y mientras ésta corresponda directamente al Instituto.
Queda facultada la institución para convenir con organismos locales, la administración de tales servicios o administrarlos a través de juntas administradoras de integración mixta entre el Instituto y las respectivas comunidades, siempre que así conviniere para la mejor prestación de los servicios y de acuerdo con los reglamentos respectivos.
Por las mismas razones y con las mismas características, también podrán crearse juntas administradoras regionales que involucren a varias municipalidades; (…)” En consonancia con lo anterior, la Ley 2726, reformada por la Ley 5915 creó el Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados con el objeto de dirigir, fijar políticas, establecer y aplicar normas, realizar y promover el planeamiento, financiamiento y desarrollo y de resolver todo lo relacionado con el suministro de agua potable y recolección y evacuación de aguas negras y residuos industriales líquidos, lo mismo que el aspecto normativo de los sistemas de alcantarillado pluvial en áreas urbanas, para todo el territorio nacional. En consecuencia si la ley le otorga al Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados competencia nacional para atender todo lo relacionado con el suministro de agua potable y recolección y deberá el Instituto de actuar en resguardo de recibir una buena prestación del servicio y la evacuación de aguas negras y residuos industriales líquidos, ante una mala prestación de este servicio por parte de la Asociación de Usuarios, las Municipalidades u algún otro ente o institución a la que se le haya delegado, de manera que sea preservado el derecho constitucional a la salud.
Atendiendo lo expuesto en los considerandos anteriores y tomando en cuenta los problemas con el alcantarillado pluvial que aduce la recurrente y acepta las autoridades recurridas de la Municipalidad de Goicoechea, en criterio de esta Sala no son aceptables las excusas expresadas y por el contrario se constata un incumplimiento al ejercicio de las competencias residuales impuestas por ley al Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados.
VIII.- Responsabilidad del Ministerio de Salud en los hechos denunciados. Por su parte, el Ministerio de Salud, dentro del ámbito de sus competencias, también se encuentra directamente obligado a actuar en esta materia. En ese sentido, la Ley General de Salud número 5395, en su artículo 341 establece:
"Artículo 341.- Podrán, asimismo, dentro de las atribuciones y jurisdicciones mencionadas, ordenar y tomar las medidas especiales que habilita esta ley para evitar el riesgo o daño a la salud de las personas o que éstos se difundan o se agraven y para inhibir la continuación o reincidencia en la infracción de los particulares" Específicamente en materia de alcantarillado, establece el artículo 289 de esa ley, 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 dictar las normas técnicas de salud a que deben ceñirse las personas físicas o jurídicas de derecho privado o público en las materias que la propia ley lo requiera, entre las cuales, sin duda alguna, se encuentra lo relativo al alcantarillado sanitario. De la prueba aportada a los autos y de los informes rendidos bajo la fe del juramento, se constata que el Ministerio de Salud no ha realizado ningún tipo de actuación para proteger la salud de los individuos ni para garantizar el disfrute de un ambiente sano en las cercanías del lugar donde habita la amparada. Por el contrario, la titular de ese Ministerio en su informe se limita a afirmar que no ha recibido denuncia alguna al respecto. Tal aspecto, en criterio de la Sala y para los efectos del caso concreto, pierde relevancia frente a una realidad como la aceptada por los personeros de la Municipalidad demandada respecto al alcantarillado pluvial, a pesar de que el Ministerio de Salud tiene la obligación legal, moral y constitucional de vigilar por la protección y preservación de un ambiente sano y ecológicamente equilibrado, no lo está haciendo sino que más bien, con su omisión de actuar está permitiendo que ello suceda y que se siga repitiendo indiscriminadamente en el tiempo. Como se pudo observar supra, la propia Ley General de Salud establece que todo sistema de alcantarillado, quedará bajo el control técnico del Ministerio y que éste, tiene la obligación de evitar el riesgo o daño a la salud de las personas así como la propagación de enfermedades; sin embargo, a pesar de que esta exigencia le ha sido asignada al Ministerio recurrido, éste ha omitido cumplir con su deber legal y, por el contrario, ha permitido que se presenten situaciones como la denunciada, por lo cual, el recurso es procedente en cuanto a esta institución.
IX.- Conclusiones. Son varias las conclusiones fácilmente extraíbles de lo antes señalado, a saber: 1) Todos los habitantes del país son titulares del derecho a disfrutar de un ambiente sano y ecológicamente equilibrado; 2) Corresponde al Estado -incluyendo a las municipalidades como entes encargados de velar por los intereses locales- garantizar, defender y preservar ese derecho; 3) Es de interés público el diseño, financiamiento, ejecución, operación y mantenimiento de las obras requeridas para la recolección, tratamiento y disposición final de las aguas residuales de tipo ordinario generados en los centros urbanos, donde las soluciones individuales para la disposición de las aguas residuales técnica y ambientalmente no son adecuadas; 4) Por ley se creó el Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados como ente público encargado de dirigir, fijar políticas, establecer y aplicar normas, realizar y promover el planeamiento, financiamiento y desarrollo y de resolver todo lo relacionado con el suministro de agua potable y recolección y evacuación de aguas negras y residuos industriales líquidos, lo mismo que el aspecto normativo de los sistemas de alcantarillado pluvial en áreas urbanas, para todo el territorio nacional. A ese ente le corresponde, entre otras cosas, dirigir y vigilar todo lo concerniente para proveer a los habitantes de la república de un servicio de agua potable, recolección y evacuación de aguas negras y residuos industriales líquidos y de aguas pluviales en las áreas urbanas. Debe asesorar a los demás organismos del Estado y coordinar las actividades públicas y privadas en todos los asuntos relativos al establecimiento de acueductos y alcantarillados y control de la contaminación de los recursos de agua, siendo obligatoria, en todo caso, su consulta, e inexcusable el cumplimiento de sus recomendaciones; 5) Por imperativo legal compete al Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados administrar y operar directamente los sistemas de acueductos y alcantarillados en todo el país, aunque los sistemas que actualmente están administrados y operados por las corporaciones municipales podrán seguir a cargo de éstas, pero la Ley Constitutiva de ese ente es muy clara al establecer que ello es así "mientras suministren un servicio eficiente."; 6) Para garantizar el cumplimiento de la normativa en tutela del medio ambiente y la salud humana, la Ley General de Salud le confiere potestades de imperio a las autoridades de salud con miras a hacer cumplir, incluso por medio de la fuerza pública, las disposiciones y órdenes que emitan en el ejercicio de sus competencias. En mérito de lo expuesto, estima la Sala que tanto la Municipalidad de Goicoechea, como el Instituto de Acueductos y Alcantarillados y el Ministerio de Salud, han omitido efectuar las acciones necesarias para prevenir y solucionar el problema existente en cuanto a la inoperancia del alcantarillado pluvial en la Urbanización IMAS de Los Cuadros de Purral. En virtud de que el problema denunciado genera la contaminación del medio ambiente y, en consecuencia, constituye un peligro para la salud de los habitantes de la zona, estima la Sala que las omisiones atribuidas a los recurridos atentan contra lo dispuesto en los artículos 21 y 50 de la Constitución Política. Así las cosas, no procede otra cosa más que declarar la estimatoria del presente extremo del recurso planteado aunque únicamente en los términos del artículo 50 de la Ley que rige esta jurisdicción, a efectos de condenar a las autoridades recurridas al pago de las costas, daños y perjuicios ocasionados, debido a los trabajos que indican las autoridades de la Municipalidad de Goicoechea se han realizado.
X.- Sobre el derecho a obtener justicia administrativa pronta y cumplida. En reiterados pronunciamientos la Sala ha indicado que en sede administrativa también procede aplicar lo dispuesto en el artículo 41 de la Constitución Política, que literalmente indica: "Ocurriendo a las leyes, todos han de encontrar reparación para las injurias o daños que hayan recibido en su persona, propiedad o intereses morales. Debe hacérseles justicia pronta y cumplida, sin denegación y en estricta conformidad con las leyes". En cuanto a la justicia pronta, es evidente que la duración excesiva y no justificada de los procesos administrativos implica una clara violación a ese principio, pues los reclamos y recursos puestos a conocimiento de la Administración deben ser resueltos, por razones de seguridad jurídica, en plazos razonablemente cortos. Sin embargo, esto no significa la constitucionalización de un derecho a los plazos, sino el derecho de toda persona a que su causa sea resuelta en un plazo razonable, lo que ha de ser establecido casuísticamente, atendiendo a la complejidad del asunto, la conducta de los litigantes y las autoridades, las consecuencias para las partes de la demora, y las pautas y márgenes ordinarios del tipo de proceso de que se trata. En el caso que nos ocupa, ha sido debidamente acreditado que al reclamo sobre el cobro de Tasa de Alcantarillado Pluvial, interpuesto por la recurrente y su esposo, el señor Adonis Umaña Lobo, se le dio atención por medio del oficio DAD 2629 del 3 de octubre del 2003, suscrito por el Licenciado Sahid Salazar Castro, Director Administrativo, denegándoseles la solicitud presentada, con motivo de que su propiedad tiene acceso al servicio de alcantarillado pluvial y por lo tanto se encuentra sujeto al cobro de dicha tasa. En consecuencia, se considera que el amparo en cuanto a este extremo resulta improcedente.
XI.- Sobre el derecho a disfrutar de una zona verde de esparcimiento. De importancia para la resolución sobre ese extremo, debe indicarse que esta Sala en oportunidades anteriores se ha pronunciado sobre el derecho de los vecinos de una determinada comunidad a disfrutar de una zona verde de esparcimiento dentro de su urbanización, lo cual es parte de la calidad de vida que la Constitución Política garantiza. Específicamente en sentencia número 2000-04332 de las diez horas un minuto del 19 de mayo del 2000, esta Sala señaló en lo conducente:
“...este Tribunal ha sostenido en su reiterada jurisprudencia el derecho de todos a disfrutar de un ambiente sano y ecológicamente equilibrado. Este derecho fundamental se desarrolla, entre otros, en leyes como la de Planificación Urbana, que obliga al urbanizador al establecimiento de zonas que deben ser destinadas a parques y zonas verdes comunales. Cuando se trata de urbanizaciones establecidas bajo la vigencia de aquella ley, las áreas verdes previamente establecidas y aprobadas por la Municipalidad, cumplen con el fin específico de servir a la comunidad en la que se encuentra el terreno, pues el costo de esas áreas, por razones obvias, ha sido sufragadas por los vecinos, al pagar el precio del terreno donde han fincado sus viviendas, de ahí que su finalidad es servirles para el desarrollo integral de sus capacidades.
III.- El artículo 40 de la Ley de Planificación Urbana dispone que "No menos de una tercera parte del área representada por el porcentaje fijado conforme al párrafo anterior, será aplicada indefectiblemente al uso de parque, pero reservando en primer término de ese tercio el o los espacios necesarios para campo o campos de juegos infantiles, en proporción que no sea inferior a diez metros cuadrados por cada familia. Los dos tercios restantes del referido porcentaje o el remanente que de ellos quedase disponible después de cubiertas las necesidades de parque servirán para instalar facilidades comunales que en principio proponga el fraccionador u urbanizador…" . La sola lectura de esa norma permite arribar a la certeza de que el legislador, en desarrollo de la carta suprema, ha establecido la obligada existencia de zonas verdes y parques para el disfrute de la comunidad...” El derecho a disfrutar de áreas verdes dentro de las urbanizaciones debe ser garantizado por la autoridad municipal como encargada de velar por los intereses locales, según lo dispuesto en el artículo 168 de la Constitución Política. No obstante lo anterior, en el caso concreto se logra desprender de las pruebas existentes en el expediente y de los informes rendidos bajo juramento, que Los Cuadros de Goicoechea se trata de un proyecto de interés social que fue creado por el Estado y cuyos terrenos se encuentran inscritos todavía a nombre del Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social. Igualmente, que con la finalidad de dar mantenimiento a todos los parques del distrito y no solamente al parque más cercano a la casa de la recurrente, además de todas las zonas verdes que existen en dicho distrito, que son bastante amplias, tal como orillas de ríos, se establece el cobro de la respectiva tasa y la misma se incluye en el recibo por cobro de servicios urbanos. En el caso concreto del desarrollo Los Cuadros, donde habita la amparada, los parques y zonas verdes que ahí existen, si bien no han sido aún finalizados por el desarrollador del proyecto, que es el Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social, (IMAS), como se indicó, la Municipalidad de Goicoechea ha venido dando el necesario mantenimiento a dichos terrenos, en procura de resguardar la salud pública y el derecho de los habitantes de Los Cuadros a un ambiente sano, por lo que periódicamente se realizan limpiezas con la utilización de maquinaria (retroexcavadoras y vagonetas), de todos los terrenos que en Los Cuadros serán parque y zonas verdes, además de las chapeas de mantenimiento de dichos predios; labores que poseen un costo muy significativo para las arcas municipales, y que deben ser trasladados a los vecinos del distrito mediante el respectivo cobro de tasas. Bajo ese contexto, se considera que en cuanto a ese extremo, no se ha producido violación constitucional alguna en perjuicio de la amparada.
XII.- En razón de lo expuesto, se considera procedente el amparo únicamente por violación a los derechos tutelados en los artículos 21 y 50 de la Constitución Política, considerándose de merito declarar sin lugar el recurso en cuanto a los demás extremos alegados.”
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