Flooding in La Arena de Liberia from condo wall and lack of drainageInundaciones en La Arena de Liberia por tapia de condominio y falta de drenaje

Res. No. 2010015772 CONSTITUTIONAL CHAMBER OF THE SUPREME COURT OF JUSTICE. San José, at eight hours and fifty-nine minutes of the twenty-fourth of September, two thousand ten.

Amparo action filed by Ernesto Delgado Vidoña, of legal age, bearer of identity card 8-910-500, and María Alejandra Lobo Barrantes, of legal age, identity card number 2-473-747, residents of La Arena de Liberia, Guanacaste; against the Municipalidad de Liberia, the Ministry of Health, and the Comisión Nacional de Riesgos y Prevención de Emergencias.

Resultando:

1.- By written submission received in the Secretariat of the Chamber at fifteen hours thirty-six minutes of the twelfth of August, two thousand ten, the petitioners filed this amparo action against the Municipalidad de Liberia, the Ministry of Health, and the Comisión Nacional de Riesgos y Prevención de Emergencias and state that they reside in the community of La Arena, located one and a half kilometers from Liberia. They state that flooding has occurred in their community since May of two thousand nine; a situation that, principally, has arisen as a result of inadequate stormwater channeling, since three neighboring neighborhoods drain into their locality, which means that, with the rains, the main street turns into a river. They also claim that since February of two thousand nine, a wall was built for a fourteen-hectare residential complex, named Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca, marketed under the name Proyecto Eco-Residencial Condominios Colonia Blanca. They explain that this wall has acted as a retaining wall, which increases the problems described. They warn that they already requested help from the respondent Municipalidad; however, having received no response, they had to turn to the Defensoría de los Habitantes. They indicate that, as a result of this, the Ministry of Health issued a sanitary order against the respondent Municipalidad, which culminated in the arrest of the Mayor of Liberia. They claim that, in spite of everything, during this rainy season so far, two serious floods have already occurred, which have caused the collapse of the aforementioned wall and the correlative damage to their homes. They say that in each of these events, they lose a large quantity of goods, and even their lives are in danger. They add to the foregoing that an older adult resides in their home, who, given the size of the flood that occurred days ago, they were unable to evacuate; in addition to which there is the presence of mosquito breeding sites for dengue, as corroborated by the Ministry of Health. Based on the foregoing, they deem that their fundamental rights have been violated and request that the action be granted, with its consequences.

2.- Mauricio Vargas Fuentes, in his capacity as Vice-Minister of Health, submits a sworn report (folio 15), stating that on the twenty-ninth of June, two thousand nine, the petitioner Lobo Barrantes filed a complaint before the Área Rectora de Salud de Liberia against the construction of a perimeter wall, owned by the Proyecto Urbanístico Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca, claiming that this construction has caused the flooding of several properties and water stagnation. He adds that in order to address this complaint, the intervention of the regional engineer, Carlos Fernando Arguedas Mora, was requested, an official who carried out the corresponding inspection, for which he provided the respective report under official letter number RCH-IR-119-09 of the tenth of July, two thousand nine, in which the characteristics of the wall are described and it is also indicated that, due to the flat topography of the land in the zone and the deficiency or non-existence of a stormwater disposal system, during a rainfall event of medium or high intensity, the wall acts as a dam, resulting in water stagnation. He states that in the report, the construction of an adequate stormwater disposal system on public roads is recommended, as well as channeling the waters that reach the wall into the proposed system. He argues that, based on the criteria issued by the technical body, on the twenty-second of July, two thousand nine, he issued and proceeded to notify sanitary orders numbers 166-2009 and 167-2009, to the President of the Municipal Council of Liberia and the Mayor of Liberia, respectively, ordering them to submit a plan that contemplates the construction of the system recommended in report RCH-IR-119-09, as well as the channeling of the waters that reach the wall, considering that this wall has the respective permit, issued by the Municipalidad de Liberia. He adds that, in response to the cited sanitary orders, on the twenty-seventh of July, two thousand nine, official letter OF-DCU-467-07-2009 was received from the municipal engineer Renán Zamora Álvarez, in which it is stated that, according to preliminary hydrological analyses, it was determined that the construction of the wall causes an impediment to the flow of water, in the direction of the natural slope of the land, and that given this situation, the case will be sent to legal services for assessment. He adds that on the thirtieth of July, two thousand nine, a motion for reconsideration with a subsidiary appeal was received at the Área Rectora de Liberia, filed by the Mayor of Liberia against sanitary order number 167-2009, requesting that this order be revoked, alleging that the wall in question belongs to private property, with the owner being responsible for the burdens and impositions required by law. He states that on the sixth of August, two thousand nine, by resolution AJ-172-2009, the Dirección Regional de Rectoría de la Salud Chorotega dismissed the motion for reconsideration filed by the Mayor of Liberia as inadmissible on all grounds. He indicates that the file kept at the Área Rectora de Salud de Liberia contains technical report DPM-INF-1032-2009 of the twentieth of August, two thousand nine, signed by geologist Daniela Herra Herrera of the Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias, in which the professional refers to the wall in question, indicating that it acts as a barrier to the movement of water, so that the flooding problem in the area is exacerbated, and recommends making more water evacuation outlets in the wall. He argues that on the eighteenth of September, two thousand nine, the Área Rectora de Salud de Liberia filed complaint number 023-2009 before the Fiscalía de Liberia against the Mayor of Liberia, for the crime of disobedience to public authority, for having failed to comply with the provisions of the health authorities in sanitary order number 167-2009. He adds that on the third of December, two thousand nine, by resolution DM-JB-4989-09, the Minister of Health declared the filed appeal without merit and ordered the Área Rectora to follow up on the case and not allow the water stagnation problem of the cited housing project to continue putting the health and safety of people at risk. He states that on the twenty-ninth of January, two thousand ten, official letter OF-DCU-#076-01-2010 was received at the Área Rectora de Liberia, signed by engineer Renán Zamora Álvarez of the Municipalidad de Liberia, in which reference is made to what was ordered in sanitary order 167-2009 and it is indicated that the wall presents a variation in the natural water stagnation conditions, facilitating an increase in the water level. He adds that, as a solution to the flooding problem in the zone, the engineer explains a proposal consisting of the construction of three high-flow channels for the evacuation of stormwater in that zone, and includes a schedule of activities. He adds that on the thirtieth of April, two thousand ten, a telephone call was received at the Área Rectora de Liberia from petitioner Alejandra Lobo, requesting that an urgent inspection be carried out at the site, since rainwater had caused flooding in her home and neighboring homes. He indicates that in inspection report CH-ARS-LI-ERS-367-2010, Lic. Iván Chavarría Villarreal of the Regulation Team of the Área Rectora de Liberia indicates that the rain had flooded the homes to a height of forty-five centimeters, and that a section of the wall of the cited urbanization was torn down by the force of the water, in a section of about forty meters, with neighbors stating that, had the wall not given way, the material and human damage would have been more serious, as there are people in wheelchairs. He points out that due to this situation, the Directorate of the Área Rectora de Liberia, through official letter CH-ARS-LI-DA-256-2010 of the thirteenth of May, two thousand ten, addressed to the Municipal President of Liberia, made a warning to the municipalidad, informing it of the civil and criminal liabilities for damages to people's health that could occur, due to the inaction of that institution. He adds that on the eighth of July, two thousand ten, Eng. Renán Zamora Álvarez, through official letter OF-DCU#371-07-2010, responded to official letter CH-ARS-LI-DA-256-2010 of the thirteenth of May, two thousand ten, again referring to the proposal of three channels for stormwater evacuation. He also indicates that an agreement was reached with the owners of the residential complex on the construction of a sub-drainage system that would allow greater infiltration capacity on the properties adjacent to the wall and thus help lower the water level on those properties. He points out that on the eleventh of August, two thousand ten, a new telephone call was received at the Directorate of the Área Rectora de Liberia, from a resident of the community of El Mocho de Santa Lucía, again reporting the serious flooding problem that was occurring at that time, as a result of the torrential downpours that had fallen in those days. He indicates that, as an immediate action, the corresponding on-site inspections were carried out by two professionals from the Regulation Team of that Área Rectora, on which report CH-ARS-LI-ERS-750-2010 was prepared, noting that the homes were found flooded due to the heavy downpour of the tenth of August, two thousand ten, with the water reaching a height of more than one meter, affecting all the families' belongings and producing contamination and proliferation of mosquitoes, with potential danger to public health. It was also indicated that the wall in question was again torn down by the force of the water. He points out that on the twelfth of August, two thousand ten, by resolution CH-ARS-LI-DA-406-2010, the Directorate of the Área Rectora de Liberia resolved to notify a sanitary order to the owners of the Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca residential complex, ordering them to halt the reconstruction of the wall in the sector where it was torn down by the force of the water, which must be maintained until it can be guaranteed that this structure will not represent an aggravation of the floods in the zone in question. He claims that on the thirteenth of August, two thousand ten, sanitary order 278-2010 was notified to the owners of the cited residential complex, ordering them to halt the reconstruction of the wall. He considers that this Ministry, through the authorities of the Área Rectora de Salud de Liberia, has carried out a series of proceedings precisely aimed at resolving the problem affecting the petitioners, making it evident that, from the moment the problems of stormwater stagnation and the implications this represents for the health and safety of the population became known, these authorities have diligently addressed resolving this situation. He believes that the Ministry has not been negligent in addressing the claim raised in this amparo; on the contrary, the Administration's actions have been oriented towards following up on the administrative act issued, and therefore no injury has been caused to the rights invoked, requesting for this reason that the action be dismissed.

3.- Carlos Luis Marín Muñoz in his capacity as Mayor and Eugenio Román Ocampo in his capacity as President of the Municipal Council, both of the Municipalidad de Liberia, submit a sworn report (folio 128), stating that the neighborhood of La Arena de Liberia is located in the southern sector of the canton where, due to the topography of that sector, waters from neighborhoods located in higher sectors of the central canton naturally flow. They indicate that, in technical terms, the Department of Urban Development and Control in its report OF.DCU-447-08-2010 has indicated that floods in this sector, located south of the city of Liberia, are a problem that has existed since its genesis as an urban expansion nucleus. They claim that the sector known as El Mocho is made up of small neighborhoods (Santa Lucía, La Arena, Daniel Oduber Quirós, El Mocho, El Peloncito, among others) and forms part of the micro-watershed of the río La Arena, being located in the lower part of it. They add that according to the Department of Urban Development and Control, the hydrological and hydraulic characteristics of the sector are governed by two main aspects, namely: 1) being located in the lower part causes it to be the final receiver of stormwater runoff from the sectors located in the higher zones of the micro-watershed. They indicate that, in addition to the problems inherent to the receiving watercourse (quebrada La Arena), which already accumulates the hydraulic load from contributions produced by the higher zones, it causes considerable rises (possible overflows) at the discharge points, for return periods greater than five years, according to a hydrological study conducted. 2) due to the type of life zone (Holdridge) characterized as premontane moist forest with basal transition, with a theoretical annual rainfall of between one thousand five hundred to one thousand nine hundred fifty millimeters, it features ignimbrite plateau plains, and given that ignimbrite is an acidic, light-colored, porous rock, of low density and providing low permeability, moreover, the zone with urban coverage of the micro-watershed under study has soils with a higher degree of weathering and a flat topography with an average slope of 0.3%. They indicate that these two factors imply a high difficulty in the storm drainage works that may be proposed, since factors uncommon in conventional storm drainage works must be considered. They state that it is for this reason that, since May of two thousand nine, a hydrological study and remedial measures plan was prepared for the adequate drainage of the micro-watersheds of the quebrada Arena. They indicate that this micro-watershed consists of approximately one hundred fifty-four hectares, and in it are located a series of sub-urbanized neighborhoods, which accentuates the problem of inadequate stormwater management. They point out that more in-depth engineering studies were contracted, called "Estudios Hidrológicos y Propuestas para el Control de las Inundaciones en la Ciudad de Liberia", with the objective of obtaining a real overview of the problem and the works required. They add that, from the studies carried out, the construction of four stormwater evacuation channels is proposed, which, once built, will provide a solution to the flooding problems, specifically in the area indicated by the petitioners. They indicate that, in addition, a proposal is made for the improvement of the river and creek channels that receive the waters. They indicate that the aforementioned department listed in its official letter the works carried out to date by the Municipalidad de Liberia, with the objective of gradually and systematically, based on the budgetary capacity of the Municipal Corporation, providing a solution to a problem that has existed since the very moment these settlements were born and that, for more than seventy years, had not previously received any competent intervention for this intrinsic problem of the sector. They state that, based on this report, three stormwater discharge channels have been built to drain the waters of the micro-watershed under study, with the following detail: a) the channel for discharge point 3 (according to the hydrological study) has already been built; it was processed under administrative file (LA-00001-02). The built work has a total length of seven hundred and five linear meters, a trapezoidal cross-section of one and a half meters at the base, three meters at the top, and seventy centimeters in height, being lined with concrete with a strength of two hundred ten kilograms per square centimeter and ten centimeters thick, with a total cost of ninety-five million colones. They indicate that in the same order, the crossing over the inter-American route (route 1) will be expanded to increase the capacity of this channel, this work will begin in a few weeks and the permits from the Consejo Nacional de Vialidad have already been obtained through Eng. Carlos Acosta; b) the channel for discharge point 2 (according to the hydrological study) has already been fully excavated, nine provisional culvert crossings were built, and to date approximately twenty million colones have been invested; c) for the channel at discharge point 1, approval of project funds from the Dirección Nacional de Desarrollo de las Comunidades is awaited to begin the works; topographic surveys have been carried out for these reductions; d) for discharge channel four (according to the hydrological study), excavation was carried out, with a length of two hundred twenty meters, and the placement of a sewer system ninety meters in length, with a pipe one meter and five centimeters in diameter, is underway; this channel is currently under construction and is located in front of the street of the supposedly affected persons, this having involved an investment of approximately five million colones. Discharge point four is where the micro-watershed waters are drained, where the problem that gives rise to this amparo originates. They indicate that an improvement was also made to the channel of the quebrada La Arena, the receiving water body, with the objective of promoting adequate drainage of the channels. They point out that, in addition, advanced discussions are being held (on land owned by a third party) for the excavation of another channel to allow water interception at a higher point in the micro-watershed, which would further reduce the flow to the lowest points of the basin, which is precisely where the human settlements are located. They claim that, in addition to these works, others have been carried out in the lowest part of the micro-watershed in the sector of barrio La Cruz, where a channel three hundred thirty meters long has been excavated for water evacuation. They add that approximately eighty linear meters of storm sewer have been placed, a culvert crossing was also built, with a rectangular cross-section two meters wide and one and a half meters high, and approximately fifteen million colones have been invested to date. They indicate that, in a more general context but which includes the area in conflict, a hydrological study was contracted, with proposals for the mitigation of floods in the city of Liberia (LA-00001-02), which covers all the micro-watersheds of the city of Liberia for the topographic survey of the channels of the following water bodies: río Santa Inés, río Claro, quebrada Piches, quebrada Panteón, río Liberia, quebrada Carreta, and quebrada La Arena. They indicate that as a product of this study, the risk of overflows presented by the quebrada La Arena for return periods greater than five years was determined. They claim that these studies and works carried out to date represent the greatest effort made in the history of the Municipal Corporation to provide a solution, based on the most solid scientific concepts applied to engineering, to the flooding problem that occurs in this sector of the city of Liberia. They mention that the placement of ninety-seven meters of thirty-four-inch stormwater pipe is currently underway, being installed from the quebrada La Arena, through the road, towards the homes located in the sector under discussion, with the intention of solving the problem according to what is budgeted. They indicate that one cannot ignore that this year, rainfall has been higher than the historical average (worldwide phenomenon) for the canton, which causes an increase in flooding problems; this is evident according to the June bulletin of the IMN. They clarify that the road or street where the petitioners' properties are located are rural roads, that is, they do not belong to the urban center of the city; it is a dirt road. The building permits requested along the road have been for single-family constructions, they do not belong to urban development projects, located in front of a street that lacks the respective curb and gutter, as well as stormwater infrastructure, with these persons fully aware of the situation when they acquire the land and build, and such persons being responsible and aware that they are building in a rural zone without stormwater infrastructure, curb and gutter, as is a requirement for any urbanization or housing development; however, great efforts have been made to try to solve the water problem in that sector. They consider that it is not true that there is no adequate stormwater channeling, as the situation occurring in that sector is due to its topography and soil types (high impermeability) and poor development and urban growth planning, which is not the direct responsibility of the Municipality; however, many works and investments have been made, are in progress, and will be carried out in that sector, with the faithful objective of providing a serious and definitive solution to the problem that has occurred in that sector for years. They add that, regarding the perimeter wall of the Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca, the Ministry of Health and the Defensoría de los Habitantes have been informed that this wall was processed in accordance with legal requirements, meaning that the persons requesting municipal permits submitted all the requirements demanded by the municipality in full, including the corresponding environmental feasibility clearances issued by the SETENA, such that, everything being in order, the corresponding permit was granted, and therefore the wall was built lawfully. They clarify that the Municipalidad respects the permits granted by other institutions. They indicate that according to a report from the Department of Urban Development and Control, this issue has already been discussed with the person in charge of managing this residential project, and measures have been adopted such as opening breaches in the wall and constructing sub-drainage systems that lower the water table of the land adjacent to the walls, and thus reduce the natural stagnation of water due to the topography of the land. They add that they have resolution number 02252-2009-SETENA, by which it was dismissed that the wall is the main cause of the problem. They indicate that according to the report from the cited department, the measures taken regarding the wall have been adopted through conciliation, since the flooding problems in the sector are due to factors not exclusive to the wall, as well as extraordinary climatological events that have occurred in recent years, causing greater than normal stormwater runoff. They point out that it is no secret to anyone that in the last three years, Liberia has experienced greater than normal average rainfall, given the global climatological phenomenon, which accentuates the problems of stormwater management and leads the general population to presume, without solid technical foundations, various causes for the origin of these problems. They consider that it is not true that the Municipalidad de Liberia has done nothing regarding the wall indicated by the petitioners, because as indicated, although it is not the origin of the problem, actions have been taken by the Municipality aimed at mitigating the problems of the residents of that sector, part of which includes coordination with the owners of the residential complex bordered by the wall, so that they would arrange, as indeed was done, the necessary works aimed at preventing greater problems for local residents during the rainy season. They consider that every material effort has been made to provide a solution to a historical problem of that sector, which had been overlooked over the years by different Administrations, as well as the fact that only a few years ago this sector experienced uncontrolled urban growth, and it is only now that an attempt has been made to provide a prompt and effective solution to the problems raised by the residents in that sector. They indicate that the criminal case initiated due to the sanitary orders has been dismissed, and was never personally notified, this being a preponderant factor for establishing the responsibility of the official tasked with enforcing the order, in the event of an omission, and equally for establishing disobedience; conditions that did not occur in this specific case, as was declared by the corresponding Court. They point out that the matter of the wall collapse and the floods are events beyond the possibilities of the Municipality, as they are due to natural disasters. They add that in an inspection carried out with officials of the Ministry of Health, it was verified that the wall did not cause damage to third parties but rather to the residential complex itself, so the argument made by the petitioners on this point is not admissible. They reiterate that measures have already been adopted to try to solve the problems afflicting the residents of the sector, which has meant an investment of millions, but there is still much work to be done, with a high cost, which is in process and will be carried out as administrative procedures and administrative resources permit. They state that the issue of the dengue problem is a matter for the Ministry of Health, but the Municipalidad has always supported fumigation campaigns for the purpose of eliminating mosquito breeding sites, and an inter-institutional cooperation agreement is currently being processed with that Ministry to donate diesel and gasoline to carry out a fumigation campaign against the dengue mosquito in the canton. They consider that the fundamental rights of the petitioners have not been violated, and therefore request that the action be dismissed.

4.- Vanessa Rosales Ardón, in her capacity as Executive President of the Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias, submits a sworn report (folio 163) stating that in Technical Report DPM-INF-1032-2009 prepared by geologist Daniela Herra Herrera of the Department of Prevention and Mitigation, an account is given of the prevention and mitigation measures that are recommended and that must be assumed by both the property owners and the local government of the zone.

Indicates that the principle of coordination must respect the autonomy and independence of each institution, that is, their scope of competence, so it is not the responsibility of the Commission he represents to administer cantonal interests and services. He considers that the local government is the principal actor to execute the recommendation actions given by the Commission he represents, being the primary obligor to heed the observations and take corrective measures as appropriate. He points out that the entity he represents has collaborated in conducting an inspection with technical criteria, so that the corresponding measures are taken by the government entities competent in the matter. He estimates that the entity he represents has not incurred any violation of the fundamental rights of the appellants and therefore requests that the appeal be declared without merit.

5.- In the filing on folio 175, submitted unsigned, the arguments raised in the brief initiating the amparo are reiterated.

6.- In the procedures followed, the legal prescriptions have been observed.

Drafted by Magistrate Salazar Cambronero; and,

Considering:

I.- Proven facts. Of importance for the decision of this matter, the following facts are deemed duly demonstrated: a) that on June twenty-ninth, two thousand nine, the appellant Lobo Barrantes, filed before the Liberia Health Governing Area, a complaint against the construction of a perimeter wall owned by the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium Urban Development Project, alleging that it was causing the flooding of several properties and water stagnation (see sworn statements on folio 16 and document on folio 127); b) that the regional engineer of the Ministry of Health conducted an on-site inspection and reported in official communication RCH-IR-119-09 of July tenth, two thousand nine, that due to the flat topography of the lands in the zone and the deficiency or nonexistence of a stormwater disposal system, during a medium or high intensity rainfall event, the wall acts as a dam resulting in water stagnation, recommending the construction of an adequate stormwater disposal system in the public roads and the channeling of waters reaching the wall (see sworn statements on folio 16 and document on folio 124); c) that on July twenty-second, two thousand nine, sanitary orders numbers 166-2009 and 167-2009 were issued to the President of the Municipal Council and the Municipal Mayor, both of the Municipality of Liberia, ordering the presentation of a plan contemplating the construction of the recommended system as well as the channeling of waters reaching the wall, which had a permit issued by the Municipality of Liberia (see sworn statements on folio 16 and documents on folios 120 to 123); d) that in response to the sanitary orders, on July twenty-seventh, two thousand nine, official communication OF-DCU-467-07-2009 from the municipal engineer was received by the Ministry of Health, stating that according to preliminary hydrological analyses, it was determined that the construction of the wall causes an impediment for the waters to flow in the direction of the natural slope, so they would refer the case to legal services for its assessment (see sworn statements on folio 16); e) that in technical report DPM-INF-1032-2009 of August twentieth, two thousand nine, geologist Daniela Herra Herrera of the National Commission for Risk Prevention and Emergency Response, indicated that the cited wall acts as a barrier to water movement, thus the flooding problem at the site is exacerbated, recommending the creation of more water evacuation outlets in the wall (see sworn statements on folio 17 and document on folio 96); f) that on September eighteenth, two thousand nine, the Liberia Health Governing Area filed complaint number 023-2009 before the Liberia Prosecutorial Agency against the Mayor of Liberia, for the crime of disobedience to public authority for failing to comply with the provisions of the health authorities in sanitary order number 167-2009 (see sworn statements on folio 17 and document on folio 92); g) that on July thirtieth, two thousand nine, the Mayor of Liberia filed a reconsideration appeal with a subsidiary appeal against sanitary order number 167-2009; on the following August sixth, the Regional Directorate of Health Governance of Chorotega rejected this reconsideration as inadmissible; and on the following December third, in resolution DM-JB-4989-09, the Minister of Health declared the appeal without merit, ordering compliance with the aforementioned sanitary order, and directing that the Governing Area must follow up on the case and not allow the water stagnation problem to continue putting people's health and safety at risk (see sworn statements on folio 17 and documents on folios 84, 103 to 109, and 113); h) that in inspection report CH-ARS-LI-ERS-367-2010 from the Regulation Team of the Liberia Health Governing Area, it was indicated that on April thirtieth, two thousand ten, the rain had flooded homes to a height of forty-five centimeters and that a section of the urbanization's wall was forcefully torn away over about forty meters (see sworn statements on folio 17 and document on folio 71); i) that through official communication OF-DCU#371-07-2010, the municipal engineer informed the Liberia Health Area of the proposal to build three channels for the evacuation of stormwater, as well as an agreement with the residential complex owners for the construction of a subdrainage system that would allow greater infiltration capacity for the properties bordering the wall in order to lower the water level of the properties (see sworn statements on folio 18 and document on folio 44); j) that following a call received on August eleventh, two thousand ten, from a resident of the community of El Mocho de Santa Lucía, an on-site inspection was conducted and flooded homes were found due to the heavy downpour that day, with water reaching a height greater than one meter, affecting all the families' belongings, producing contamination and proliferation of mosquitoes, with potential danger to public health, and additionally, the wall was again torn away by the force of the water (see sworn statements on folio 18 and document on folio 32); k) that on August twelfth, two thousand ten, by means of resolution CH-ARS-LI-DA-406-2010, the Directorate of the Liberia Governing Area decided to serve a sanitary order on the owners of the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium residential complex, ordering them to halt the reconstruction of the wall in the sector where it was torn away by the force of the water, which must be maintained until it can be guaranteed that the structure will not represent an aggravation of the floods in the zone in question (see sworn statements on folio 18 and document on folio 27); l) that on August thirteenth, two thousand ten, sanitary order number 278-2010 was served on the owners of the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium, ordering them to halt the reconstruction of the wall (see sworn statements on folio 18 and document on folio 25); ll) that the sector referred to by the appellants, from its beginnings, has been characterized by flooding problems and is located in the La Arena river micro-watershed, and being located in the lower part causes the zone to be the final receptor of stormwater runoff from sectors located in higher areas (see sworn statements on folio 129); m) that in two thousand nine, a hydrological study was conducted in the zone from which the construction of four stormwater evacuation channels was proposed, which once built, would provide a solution to the flooding problems, specifically in the area referred to by the appellants (see sworn statements on folio 130); n) that to date, three stormwater drainage channels have been built to drain waters from the indicated micro-watershed, and the construction of a fourth channel is expected once the budget is approved by the National Directorate for Community Development (see sworn statements on folio 130); ñ) that improvement of the La Arena stream bed has been carried out with the objective of promoting adequate drainage from the channels, and advanced conversations are underway for the excavation of another channel that will allow cutting off water at a higher point of the micro-watershed to further reduce the flow to the lowest points of the watershed, which is where the human settlements are (see sworn statements on folio 131); o) that the constructions carried out in the zone referred to by the appellants have been carried out without stormwater infrastructure, curb and gutter, with poor development and urban growth planning (see sworn statements on folio 133); p) that the authorities of the Municipality of Liberia have discussed the wall issue with the person in charge of managing the residential project, and measures have been adopted such as opening breaches in the wall, and construction of subdrainages that lower the water table of the lands adjacent to the walls and thereby reduce the natural stagnation of waters due to the topography of the land (see sworn statements on folio 133); q) that the College of Engineers and Architects of Costa Rica conducted an inspection in the zone referred to by the appellants to verify the stormwater evacuation system of the Santa Lucía-La Arena sector and concluded that: a) the sector presents stormwater evacuation problems; b) that the Municipality of Liberia granted a construction permit to the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium Project, in a zone that is rural and its use is restricted to agricultural activity; c) the zone receives stormwater coming from other sectors of the city of Liberia, therefore the volumes of water received by the sector are of considerable proportions, and there is no adequate evacuation system to prevent flooding; d) that the lack of an adequate evacuation system and the construction of the perimeter wall of the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium project could intensify the flooding of adjoining lands and homes; e) homes were observed built within the right-of-way of public roads, which are prohibited in Article 28 of the General Law of Public Roads (folio 192).

II.- On the actions of the Ministry of Health. On repeated occasions, this Chamber has indicated that the Ministry of Health is responsible for ensuring and supervising the proper collection, treatment, and final disposal of stormwater, being the responsible authority to order those ordinary and extraordinary measures and provisions that are technically appropriate for the protection, conservation, and improvement of people's health and their right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, under the protection of Articles 21 and 50 of the Political Constitution in relation to Article 2 of the Organic Law of the Ministry of Health and Article 340 of the General Health Law. The authorities of the Ministry of Health, then, have the obligation to ensure the application and control of compliance with existing regulatory provisions on the matter, and for this purpose, they also have the police power granted to that Ministry to supervise the proper functioning of sewer systems, in order to avoid risks or damages to people's health or their right to enjoy a healthy and ecologically balanced environment (see in this regard, judgments numbers 2008-009350 at eleven hours twenty-five minutes on June fourth, two thousand eight, 2008-010669 at sixteen hours fifty-five minutes on June twenty-sixth, two thousand eight, and 2009-000908 at thirteen hours thirty-four minutes on January twenty-third, two thousand nine, among others). Now, in the specific case, based on the report rendered to the Chamber by the Vice Minister of Health and the evidence that has been contributed to the record, the statements of the appellants have been deemed accredited. Indeed, it emerges from the record that, in response to complaints filed by residents of the zone where the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium is located in Liberia, which highlighted serious flooding problems, the officials of the Liberia Health Governing Area have conducted several on-site inspections and have been able to verify that, in that sector of the city of Liberia, due to the flat topography of the lands and the nonexistence of a stormwater disposal system, during medium or high intensity rainfall events, the wall of that condominium acts as a dam resulting in water stagnation, recommending the construction of an adequate stormwater disposal system in the public roads, as well as the channeling of waters reaching the wall toward the proposed system. Based on what the Ministry of Health officials observed during an inspection they conducted in July two thousand nine, they proceeded on the following July twenty-second to issue two sanitary orders addressed to the President of the Municipal Council and the Municipal Mayor, both of the Municipality of Liberia, ordering them to present a plan contemplating the construction of the recommended system, as well as the channeling of waters reaching the wall, because that Municipality granted authorization and a construction permit for the cited wall. The case file reveals various technical reports, including one issued by a geologist from the National Commission for Risk Prevention and Emergency Response, which indicate that the wall surrounding the cited condominium acts as a barrier to water movement, with which the flooding problem that already existed in the place is exacerbated by that construction, therefore it is recommended to construct an adequate stormwater disposal system in the public roads, as well as the channeling of waters reaching the wall toward the proposed system, and the creation of more water evacuation outlets in the wall. It is recorded in the file that, due to the climatological phenomena that occurred during two thousand ten, on April thirtieth and August tenth, new complaints were received at the Liberia Governing Area, in which residents complained of serious flooding, which was verified by Ministry of Health officials upon conducting an on-site inspection and verifying flooding of homes up to a height of forty-five centimeters one day and up to one meter on August tenth, as well as a part of the wall having been torn away in several sectors by the force of the water. Due to these recent events, the authorities of the Ministry of Health have issued a sanitary order to the owners of the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium residential complex, in which they have ordered them to halt the reconstruction of the wall until it can be guaranteed that this structure will not represent an aggravation of the floods in the zone.

III.- Based on the foregoing, the Chamber considers that the actions of the Ministry of Health officials, although aimed at finding solutions to the problem presented in the zone referred to by the appellants, it is also true that they have not been as forceful as required to ensure the problem is solved definitively. It must be remembered that the Ministry of Health has a series of mechanisms granted by the legal system itself, which are not observed to have been used in this specific case, for if they had been, perhaps a definitive solution would have already been found. For these reasons, it is essential to declare the appeal with merit against the Ministry of Health, so that, in a coordinated manner with the competent institutions, it adopts the necessary measures so that, within the scope of its competencies, a definitive solution to the problem denounced in this amparo is achieved.

IV.- On the actions of the Municipality of Liberia. In the case under study, the competence of the municipal entity to administer the local interests and services of the canton of Liberia is unquestionable, as determined by the Political Constitution itself in its Article 169, granting it municipal autonomy for this purpose (Article 170 ibid). While it is true that Article 169 does not define or provide greater elements of judgment to definitively extract what should be understood by "local interests and services," the Chamber has already stated on other occasions that it is an undetermined legal concept, like those of "public order" or "good customs," to cite others that the Constitution also uses; however, the Chamber has also admitted that:

"…the power attributed to local governments to plan urban development within the limits of their territory does integrate the constitutional concept of 'local interests and services' referred to in Article 169 of the Constitution (…)" (see among others, judgment number 5757-94 at fifteen hours three minutes on October fourth, nineteen ninety-four).

Thus, constitutional regulations find development in current legislation, and specifically, Article 1 of the Construction Law clearly determines that the Municipalities of the Republic are responsible for ensuring that cities and other population centers meet the necessary conditions of safety, health, and beauty in their public roads and in the buildings and constructions erected on their lands, without prejudice to the powers that laws grant in these matters to other administrative bodies. Likewise, Article 15 of the Urban Planning Law recognizes the competence and authority of municipal governments to plan and control urban development within the limits of their jurisdictional territory, and Article 13, subsection g) of the Municipal Code indicates that it is the Council's authority to dictate urban planning measures. Similarly, it cannot be overlooked that the State, in this case specifically through the municipalities, has the obligation to regulate areas of social life from which dangers may arise for the physical existence of the inhabitants of its territory, whether through law, regulations, agreements, or other measures related to administrative organization and procedures, and the subjective right of individuals to have this done diligently. Consequently, the possibility of demanding, judicially, through the amparo appeal, a specific type of state-provided activity, in fulfillment of its duty to protect the life and physical integrity of its inhabitants, is restricted to the clear verification of an imminent danger against those rights of individuals, from which it follows that the intervention of the constitutional jurisdiction is only viable in the face of proven inertia by the State, through its competent bodies, in attending to the demands that the country's inhabitants make in exercise of their rights (see in this regard judgment number 2005-01713 at fourteen hours fifty-three minutes on February twenty-third, two thousand five).

V.- The foregoing evidently occurs in the specific case, with the claims made by the appellants before this Chamber and which have been deemed accredited. Indeed, as emerges from the statement of proven facts, this Court has deemed it demonstrated that, in the zone referred to by the appellants, serious flooding problems have been occurring that have been aggravated by the construction of a perimeter wall at the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium, which has served as a dam allowing water stagnation, to the extreme that, in recent events, given the intensity of the rains that fell in previous April and August, caused part of that wall to collapse. Likewise, based on the documents in the case file, this Court observes that the constructions carried out in the zone referred to by the appellants have been carried out without stormwater infrastructure, curb and gutter, with poor development and urban growth planning, which undoubtedly is one of the reasons why the serious flooding problems being reported are now occurring. For its part, the College of Engineers and Architects of Costa Rica itself, in an inspection conducted in July two thousand nine, concluded in the technical report rendered for this purpose that the sector presents stormwater evacuation problems; that the Municipality of Liberia granted a construction permit to the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium Project, in a zone that is rural and its use is restricted to agricultural activity; that the zone receives stormwater coming from other sectors of the city of Liberia, therefore the volumes of water received by the sector are of considerable proportions, and there is no adequate evacuation system to prevent flooding; that the lack of an adequate evacuation system and the construction of the perimeter wall of the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium project could intensify the flooding of adjoining lands and homes; and that homes were observed built within the right-of-way of public roads, which are prohibited in Article 28 of the General Law of Public Roads. Against this backdrop, it is evident that the Municipality of Liberia has significant responsibility in the reported facts, with this Court even considering that its performance has been negligent because despite having knowledge of the situation and the technical criteria issued on the matter, it has allowed not only the construction of several buildings in that zone but has also done so without foreseeing the consequences that could arise and without obligating the interested parties, in a forceful and responsible manner, to adopt preventive measures to avoid what is now occurring, that when heavy rains fall, those zones flood which, inherently, by their nature, are prone to flooding. While it is true that, under oath, it has been indicated that measures have recently been adopted to mitigate the problem, which has been attempted through the construction of stormwater drainage channels to drain waters from the micro-watershed, it is also true that those measures have not yielded the desired result. Indeed, the opposite has occurred, for if such channels had worked as expected, on the past August tenth, the flooding of several homes in the zone would not have occurred, since the water, as reported by the Ministry of Health authorities, not only knocked down another part of the cited wall but also reached a height greater than one meter in some points, causing not only the affectation of material goods of the families involved but also seriously endangering their lives at that moment, and also after the event, for it is no secret to anyone that this type of natural situation produces environmental contamination and subsequently the proliferation of mosquitoes which, in the end, translates into an ideal environment for the development of the mosquito that transmits dengue; a disease that has been a serious problem in the Guanacaste zone.

VI.- For these reasons, it is evident that, in the opinion of this Court, negligence on the part of the Municipality of Liberia has indeed occurred, for which the amparo must also be granted with regard to this entity, since through its actions and omissions, it has fostered situations that, combined with the effects of nature, place the appellants and other residents of the zone in the situation in which they find themselves. Under this perspective, it is unacceptable for the Chamber that if the Municipality of Liberia has had knowledge of the particular conditions presented by the zone referred to by the appellants, it has allowed the development of populations and housing infrastructure, and worse yet, that it has tolerated it without compliance with minimum requirements such as stormwater infrastructure, curbs and gutters, among others, which is even accepted under oath when affirming that there has been "poor development and urban growth planning," without it being an excuse that this is not the direct responsibility of that Municipality, as also argued under oath, for it is evident that, in light of the jurisprudence established by this Chamber and the current regulations, this is undoubtedly related to the administration of local interests and services; municipal competence that is unquestionable, as determined by the Political Constitution itself in its Article 169, granting it municipal autonomy for this purpose (Article 170 ibid). The municipal authorities should remember that, for the execution of their functions, the legal system grants them instruments and mechanisms in order to provide the greatest security and tranquility to the residents, especially considering that this type of problem, besides generating disruptions to people's safety and tranquility, can also become a serious public health matter regarding which it is essential to adopt concrete actions for its elimination. For these reasons, this appeal is the appropriate and necessary means to compel the municipal respondents of the Municipality of Liberia to promptly fulfill their obligation, which is why it must be granted, and the appropriate course is to order the President of the Municipal Council and the Mayor to, in a coordinated manner with other institutions and within the scope of their competencies, proceed immediately to adopt the necessary measures to provide a definitive solution to the problem denounced by the appellants.-

Therefore:

The appeal is declared with merit. Mauricio Vargas Fuentes, in his capacity as Vice Minister of Health, Carlos Luis Marín Muñoz in his capacity as Municipal Mayor, and Eugenio Román Ocampo as President of the Municipal Council, both of the Municipality of Liberia, or whoever holds those positions in their stead, are ordered to proceed in a coordinated and immediate manner to adopt the corresponding measures within the scope of their competencies to provide a definitive solution to the problem denounced by the appellants. Likewise, they are warned that failure to comply with said order will result in the crime of disobedience and that, in accordance with Article 71 of the Law of this Jurisdiction, a prison term of three months to two years, or a fine of twenty to sixty days, shall be imposed on anyone who receives an order that must be complied with or enforced, issued in an amparo appeal, and does not comply with it or does not enforce it, provided the crime is not more severely penalized.

The State and the Municipality of Liberia are ordered to pay the costs, damages, and losses caused by the acts that serve as the basis for this declaration, which shall be liquidated in the enforcement of the judgment in the contentious-administrative proceedings. This resolution shall be personally notified to Mauricio Vargas Fuentes in his capacity as Vice-Minister of Health, to Carlos Luis Marín Muñoz in his capacity as Municipal Mayor, and to Eugenio Román Ocampo as President of the Municipal Council, both of the Municipality of Liberia, or to whoever acts in their stead in those positions.- Gilbert Armijo S.

Presidente a.i.

Ernesto Jinesta L. Fernando Cruz C.

Fernando Castillo V. Roxana Salazar C.

Víctor Ardón A. José Paulino Hernández G.

They add that, from the studies carried out, the construction of four rainwater evacuation channels is proposed, which once built, will provide a solution to the flooding problems, specifically in the area indicated by the appellants. They indicate that, in addition, a proposal is made for the improvement of the river and stream channels, the receiving water bodies. They indicate that the aforementioned Department listed, in its official communication, the works completed to date by the Municipality of Liberia, with the objective of progressively and systematically, depending on the budgetary capacity of the Municipal Corporation, providing a solution to a problem that has existed since the very moment these settlements were born and that, for over seventy years, had not previously received any competent intervention for this intrinsic problem of the sector. It states that, based on that report, three rainwater discharge channels have been built to drain the waters of the micro-watershed (microcuenca) under study, with the following detail: a) the channel for discharge point 3 (according to the hydrological study) has already been built, it was processed under administrative file (LA-00001-02), the constructed work has a total length of seven hundred and five linear meters, a trapezoidal cross-section with a base of one and a half meters, a top width of three meters, and a height of seventy centimeters, being lined with concrete with a strength of two hundred and ten kilograms per square centimeter and a thickness of ten centimeters, it had a total cost of ninety-five million colones. It indicates that in the same vein, the passage over the interamerican route (route 1) will be expanded, to increase the capacity of this channel, with this work set to begin in a few weeks and the permits from the National Road Council (Consejo Nacional de Vialidad) have already been obtained through Eng. Carlos Acosta; b) the channel for discharge point 2 (according to the hydrological study), has already been fully excavated, nine provisional culvert passages were built and to date approximately twenty million colones have been invested; c) for the channel of discharge point 1, approval from the National Directorate for Community Development (Dirección Nacional de Desarrollo de las Comunidades) of the project funds is awaited, to begin the works; topographic surveys have been carried out for the execution of these excavations; d) for discharge channel four (according to the hydrological study), the excavation was carried out, with a length of two hundred twenty meters, and the placement of a ninety-meter-long sewer system is underway, with a culvert of one meter and five centimeters in diameter; this channel is currently under construction and is located in front of the street of the allegedly affected individuals, which has entailed an investment of approximately five million colones. Discharge point four is where the waters of the micro-watershed (microcuenca) drain, where the problem that gives rise to this amparo (amparo) originates. They indicate that an improvement was also made to the channel of the La Arena stream, the receiving water body for the waters, with the objective of facilitating adequate drainage from the channels. They point out that, in addition, advanced conversations are being held (on a third party's land), for the excavation of another channel to intercept water at a higher point in the micro-watershed (microcuenca), which would further reduce the flow to the lower points of the watershed (cuenca), which is precisely where the human settlements are located. They argue that, coupled with these works, others have been carried out in the lowest part of the micro-watershed (microcuenca) in the La Cruz neighborhood sector, where a channel three hundred thirty meters long has been excavated for water evacuation. They add that approximately eighty linear meters of rainwater sewer pipes have been placed, a box culvert was also built, with a rectangular cross-section two meters wide and one and a half meters high, and approximately fifteen million colones have been invested to date. They indicate that, in a more general context that includes the area in conflict, a hydrological study was contracted, with proposals for flood mitigation in the city of Liberia (LA-00001-02), which encompasses all the hydrographic micro-watersheds (microcuencas) of the city of Liberia, for topographic surveying of the channels of the following water bodies: Santa Inés River, Claro River, Piches stream, Panteón stream, Liberia River, Carreta stream, and La Arena stream. They indicate that as a result of this study, the overflow risk presented by the La Arena stream was determined for return periods exceeding five years. They argue that these studies and works completed to date represent the greatest effort made in the history of the Municipal Corporation to provide a solution, based on the most sound scientific concepts applied to engineering, to the flooding problem occurring in this sector of the city of Liberia. They mention that, currently, the placement of ninety-seven meters of thirty-four-inch rainwater pipe is underway, being laid from the La Arena stream, across the road, in the direction of the dwellings located in the sector under discussion, with the intention of solving the problem in accordance with what has been budgeted. They indicate that one cannot ignore that this year, there have been rainfall amounts higher than the historical average (a global phenomenon) for the canton, which causes an increase in flooding problems; this is evident according to the bulletin for the month of June from the National Meteorological Institute (Instituto Metereológico Nacional). They clarify that the road or street where the appellants' properties are located are rural roads, meaning they do not belong to the urban center of the city; it is a dirt road. The construction permits requested on the road have been for single-family dwellings, they do not belong to urban development projects, located facing a street that lacks the respective curb and gutter (cordón y caño), as well as rainwater infrastructure, with these individuals having full knowledge of the situation when they acquire the land and build, such individuals being responsible for and aware that they are building in a rural zone without rainwater infrastructure, curb and gutter (cordón y caño), as is a requirement for any urban development or housing development; however, great efforts have been made to try to resolve the water problem in that sector. They consider that it is not true that there is no adequate rainwater channeling, as the situation occurring in that sector is due to its topography and soil types (high impermeability) and to poor urban development and growth planning, which is not the direct responsibility of the Municipality; however, many works and investments have been made, are in progress, and will continue to be carried out in that sector, with the unwavering objective of providing a serious and definitive solution to the problem that has existed in that sector for years. They add that, regarding the perimeter wall of the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium, it has been communicated to the Ministry of Health and the Ombudsman's Office (Defensoría de los Habitantes) that this wall was processed in accordance with legal requirements. That is, the individuals requesting the municipal permits fully submitted the requirements demanded by the municipality, including the corresponding environmental feasibilities issued by the National Environmental Technical Secretariat (Secretaría Técnica Nacional Ambiental, SETENA), and since everything was in order, the corresponding permit was granted; therefore, the wall was built lawfully. They clarify that the Municipality respects the permits granted by other institutions. They indicate that according to a report from the Department of Development and Urban Control, this issue has already been addressed with the person in charge of managing this residential project, and measures have been adopted such as opening breaches in the wall, and constructing sub-drains that lower the water table (nivel freático) of the lands adjacent to the walls, and thus reduce the natural stagnation of water due to the land's topography. They add that resolution number 02252-2009-SETENA exists, by which it was dismissed that the wall is the main cause of the problem. They indicate that according to the report of the aforementioned department, the measures taken regarding the wall have been adopted through conciliation, since the flooding problems in the sector are due to factors not exclusive to the wall, as well as extraordinary weather events that have occurred in recent years, which cause instances of runoff (escorrentía) greater than normal. They point out that it is no secret to anyone that in the last three years, Liberia has experienced rainfall above the normal average, due to the global climate phenomenon, which accentuates the problems of rainwater management, and causes the general population to presume, without substantial technical grounds, various causes for the origin of these problems. They deem that it is not true that the Municipality of Liberia has done nothing regarding the wall indicated by the appellants, because as stated, although it is not the origin of the problem, actions have indeed been taken by the Municipality aimed at mitigating the situation of the residents in that sector; part of these being coordination with the owners of the residential complex bordered by the wall, so that they would arrange, as they indeed did, the necessary work aimed at preventing greater problems for the local residents during the rainy season. They deem that every material effort has been made to provide a solution to a historical problem in that sector, which had been omitted over the years by different Administrations, as well as due to the fact that only until a few years ago, this sector has been growing in an urban and uncontrolled manner, and it is only now that an attempt has been made to provide a prompt and effective solution to the problems raised by the residents in that sector. They indicate that the criminal case initiated due to the sanitary orders has been dismissed, and was never personally notified, this being a preponderant factor for establishing the responsibility of the official charged with enforcing the order, in the event of a potential omission, as well as for establishing disobedience; conditions that did not occur in the specific case, as was thus declared by the corresponding Court. They point out that regarding the collapse of the wall and the floods, these are events beyond the municipality's possibilities, as they are due to natural disasters. They add that in an inspection carried out with officials from the Ministry of Health, it was verified that the wall did not cause damage to third parties but to the residential complex itself, so the allegation made by the appellants on this point is not admissible. They reiterate that measures have already been adopted to try to solve the problems afflicting the residents of the sector, which has meant an investment of millions, but there is still much work to be done, with a high cost, which is in process and will be executed as administrative procedures and resources allow. They state that regarding the dengue problem, this is a matter for the Ministry of Health, but the Municipality has always supported fumigation campaigns for the elimination of mosquito breeding sites; currently, an inter-institutional cooperation agreement with that Ministry is being processed, to donate diesel and gasoline to carry out a fumigation campaign against the dengue mosquito in the canton. They deem that no fundamental rights of the appellants have been violated, and therefore request that the appeal (recurso) be declared without merit.

4.- Vanessa Rosales Ardón reports under oath, in her capacity as Executive President of the National Commission for Risk Prevention and Emergency Response (Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias) (folio 163), that in the Technical Report DPM-INF-1032-2009 prepared by geologist Daniela Herra Herrera, from the Department of Prevention and Mitigation, an account is given of the prevention and mitigation measures that are recommended and must be assumed by both the property owners and the local government of the area. She indicates that the principle of coordination must respect the autonomy and independence of each of the institutions, that is, their scope of competence, so it is not the responsibility of the Commission she represents to administer cantonal interests and services. She considers that the local government is the main actor to execute the recommended actions given by the Commission she represents, being the primary party obligated to heed the observations and take the corresponding corrective measures. She points out that her represented entity has collaborated in carrying out an inspection with technical criteria, so that the corresponding measures are taken by the government entities competent in the matter. She deems that her represented entity has not incurred in any violation of the appellants' fundamental rights and therefore requests that the appeal (recurso) be declared without merit.

5.- In the writing at folio 175, submitted without signing, the arguments raised in the initial brief for filing the amparo (amparo) are reiterated.

6.- In the proceedings followed, legal requirements have been observed.

Drafted by Magistrate Salazar Cambronero; and,

Considering:

I.- Proven facts. Of importance for the decision of this matter, the following facts are deemed duly demonstrated: a) that on June twenty-ninth, two thousand nine, the appellant Lobo Barrantes, filed a complaint before the Liberia Health Governing Area against the construction of a perimeter wall owned by the Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca Urban Development Project, alleging it was causing flooding of several properties and water stagnation (see sworn statements on folio 16 and document on folio 127); b) that the regional engineer of the Ministry of Health conducted an inspection at the office and reported in official communication RCH-IR-119-09 of July tenth, two thousand nine, that due to the flat topography of the lands in the area and the deficiency or nonexistence of a stormwater disposal system, during a medium or high intensity rainfall event, the wall acts as a dam resulting in water stagnation, recommending the construction of an adequate stormwater disposal system on public roads and the channeling of waters reaching the wall (see sworn statements on folio 16 and document on folio 124); c) that on July twenty-second, two thousand nine, sanitary orders numbers 166-2009 and 167-2009 were issued to the President of the Municipal Council and the Municipal Mayor, both of the Municipality of Liberia, ordering them to submit a plan contemplating the construction of the recommended system as well as the channeling of the waters reaching the wall, which had a permit issued by the Municipality of Liberia (see sworn statements on folio 16 and documents on folios 120 to 123); d) that in response to the sanitary orders, on July twenty-seventh, two thousand nine, official communication OF-DCU-467-07-2009 from the municipal engineer was received at the Ministry of Health, indicating that according to preliminary hydrological analyses, it was determined that the construction of the wall causes an impediment to the flow of waters in the direction of the natural slope, therefore the case would be sent to legal services for assessment (see sworn statements on folio 16); e) that in technical report DPM-INF-1032-2009 of August twentieth, two thousand nine, geologist Daniela Herra Herrera of the Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias (CNE), pointed out that the cited wall acts as a barrier to water mobilization, thus increasing the flooding problem at the site, recommending more water evaluation outlets be made in the wall (see sworn statements on folio 17 and document on folio 96); f) that on September eighteenth, two thousand nine, the Liberia Health Governing Area filed complaint number 023-2009 before the Liberia Prosecution Agency against the Mayor of Liberia, for the crime of disobedience to public authority for failing to comply with the provisions established by the health authorities in sanitary order number 167-2009 (see sworn statements on folio 17 and document on folio 92); g) that on July thirtieth, two thousand nine, the Mayor of Liberia filed a motion for revocation with subsidiary appeal against sanitary order number 167-2009; on August sixth following, the Regional Directorate of the Chorotega Health Governing Body rejected the revocation as inadmissible, and on December third following, in resolution DM-JB-4989-09, the Minister of Health declared the appeal without merit, ordering compliance with the mentioned sanitary order, providing that the Governing Area must follow up on the case and not allow the water stagnation problem to continue endangering the health and safety of persons (see sworn statements on folio 17 and documents on folios 84, 103 to 109 and 113); h) that in inspection report CH-ARS-LI-ERS-367-2010 from the Regulation Team of the Liberia Health Governing Area, it was indicated that on April thirtieth, two thousand ten, the rain had flooded homes to a height of forty-five centimeters and that a section of the urbanization's wall was forcefully torn off for about forty meters (see sworn statements on folio 17 and document on folio 71); i) that through official communication OF-DCU#371-07-2010, the municipal engineer informed the Liberia Health Area of the proposal to build three channels for stormwater evacuation, as well as the agreement with the residential development owners for the construction of a subdrainage system to allow greater infiltration capacity on the properties adjacent to the wall, in order to lower the water level on the properties (see sworn statements on folio 18 and document on folio 44); j) that upon a call received on August eleventh, two thousand ten, from a resident of the El Mocho de Santa Lucía community, an on-site inspection was conducted and flooded homes were found due to the heavy downpour that day, with waters reaching a height greater than one meter, affecting all the families' belongings, producing contamination and proliferation of mosquitoes, with potential danger to public health, in addition to the wall being torn off again by the force of the water (see sworn statements on folio 18 and document on folio 32); k) that on August twelfth, two thousand ten, through resolution CH-ARS-LI-DA-406-2010, the Directorate of the Liberia Governing Area resolved to notify a sanitary order to the owners of the Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca residential development, ordering them to halt the reconstruction of the wall in the sector where it was torn off by the force of the water, which must be maintained until it can be guaranteed that the structure will not represent an aggravation of flooding in the area in question (see sworn statements on folio 18 and document on folio 27); l) that on August thirteenth, two thousand ten, sanitary order number 278-2010 was notified to the owners of the Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca, ordering them the stoppage of the wall's reconstruction (see sworn statements on folio 18 and document on folio 25); ll) that the sector referred to by the appellants, since its beginnings, has been characterized by flooding problems and is located in the micro-watershed of the La Arena River, being that due to its location in the lower part, this causes the area to be the final receptor of stormwater runoff from sectors located in higher zones (see sworn statements on folio 129); m) that in two thousand nine, a hydrological study was conducted in the area, based on which the construction of four stormwater evacuation channels was proposed, which once built, would resolve the flooding problems, specifically in the area referred to by the appellants (see sworn statements on folio 130); n) that to date, three rainwater drainage channels have been built to drain the waters of the indicated micro-watershed and the construction of a fourth channel is expected, once the budget is approved by the National Directorate of Community Development (see sworn statements on folio 130); ñ) that improvement of the La Arena stream channel has been carried out with the objective of facilitating adequate drainage from the channels, and advanced discussions are being held for the excavation of another channel to intercept water at a higher point in the micro-watershed in order to further decrease the flow to the lowest points of the watershed, which is where the human settlements are located (see sworn statements on folio 131); o) that the constructions carried out in the area referred to by the appellants have been done without stormwater infrastructure, curb and gutter, with poor development and urban growth planning (see sworn statements on folio 133); p) that the authorities of the Municipality of Liberia have addressed the wall issue with the person in charge of managing the residential project and measures have been adopted such as opening holes in the wall and constructing subdrainages that lower the water table of the lands adjacent to the walls, thereby reducing the natural water stagnation due to the land's topography (see sworn statements on folio 133); q) that the Colegio de Ingenieros y Arquitectos de Costa Rica conducted an inspection in the area referred to by the appellants to verify the stormwater evacuation system of the Santa Lucía-La Arena sector and concluded that: a) the sector has stormwater evacuation problems; b) that the Municipality of Liberia granted a construction permit to the Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca Project in an area that is rural and its use is restricted to agricultural activity; c) the area receives stormwater from other sectors of the city of Liberia, so the volumes of water received by the sector are of considerable proportions and an adequate evacuation system that prevents the generation of floods does not exist; d) that the lack of an adequate evacuation system and the construction of the perimeter wall of the Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca project could intensify flooding of the adjacent lands and homes; e) homes built within the right-of-way of public roads were observed, which are prohibited in Article 28 of the Ley General de Caminos Públicos (folio 192).

II.- On the action of the Ministry of Health. On repeated occasions, this Chamber has indicated that the Ministry of Health is responsible for overseeing and supervising the proper collection, treatment, and final disposal of stormwater, being the authority responsible for ordering those ordinary and extraordinary measures and provisions that are technically appropriate for the protection, conservation, and improvement of the health of persons and their right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, under the protection of the provisions in Articles 21 and 50 of the Constitución Política in relation to Article 2 of the Ley Orgánica del Ministerio de Salud and Article 340 of the Ley General de Salud. The authorities of the Ministry of Health therefore have the obligation to ensure the application and control of compliance with existing regulatory provisions on the matter and, to that end, also possess the police power that has been granted to that Ministry to supervise the proper functioning of sewage systems, in order to prevent risks or harm to the health of persons or their right to enjoy a healthy and ecologically balanced environment (see in this regard, judgments numbers 2008-009350 at eleven hours twenty-five minutes on June fourth, two thousand eight, 2008-010669 at sixteen hours fifty-five minutes on June twenty-sixth, two thousand eight, and 2009-000908 at thirteen hours thirty-four minutes on January twenty-third, two thousand nine, among others). Now, in the specific case, based on the report rendered to this Chamber by the Vice Minister of Health and the evidence provided to the case file, the account of the appellants has been held as proven. Indeed, it emerges from the case file that, given complaints filed by residents of the area where the Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca is located in Liberia, which highlighted serious flooding problems, the officials of the Liberia Health Governing Area conducted several on-site inspections and were able to verify that, in that sector of the city of Liberia, due to the flat topography of the lands and the nonexistence of a stormwater disposal system, during medium or high-intensity rainfall events, that condominium's wall acts as a dam resulting in water stagnation, recommending the construction of an adequate stormwater disposal system on public roads, as well as the channeling of the waters reaching the wall toward the proposed system. Based on what the Ministry of Health officials observed during the inspection they conducted in July two thousand nine, on the following July twenty-second, they proceeded to issue two sanitary orders directed to the President of the Municipal Council and the Mayor, both of the Municipality of Liberia, in which they ordered them to submit a plan contemplating the construction of the recommended system, as well as the channeling of the waters reaching the wall, since that Municipality granted authorization and a construction permit for the cited wall. Several technical reports emerge from the case file, including one issued by a geologist from the CNE, indicating that the wall surrounding the cited condominium acts as a barrier to water mobilization, thereby increasing the flooding problem that already existed at the site due to that construction, recommending the construction of an adequate stormwater disposal system on public roads, as well as the channeling of the waters reaching the wall toward the proposed system, and the creation of more water evacuation outlets in the wall. The case file records that, due to the climatological phenomena that have occurred during two thousand ten, on April thirtieth and August tenth, new complaints were received at the Liberia Governing Area, in which residents complained of serious flooding, which was verified by Ministry of Health officials upon conducting an on-site inspection, confirming flooding of homes to a height of forty-five centimeters one day and up to one meter on August tenth, as well as a part of the wall having been torn off in several sectors by the force of the water. Due to these recent events, the authorities of the Ministry of Health have issued a sanitary order to the owners of the Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca residential development, in which they have ordered them to halt the reconstruction of the wall until it can be guaranteed that this structure will not represent an aggravation of flooding in the area.

III.- Based on the foregoing, this Chamber considers that the action of the Ministry of Health officials, while aimed at finding solutions to the problem that has arisen in the area referred to by the appellants, has also not been as forceful as is required to ensure that the problem is definitively resolved. It should be recalled that the Ministry of Health has a series of mechanisms granted by the legal system itself, which it is not observed to have been used in the specific case, since if they had been, a definitive solution might perhaps have already been found. For these reasons, it is essential to grant the appeal regarding the Ministry of Health, so that, in coordination with the competent institutions, it adopts the necessary measures so that, within the scope of its competences, a definitive solution can be achieved for the problem reported in this amparo.

IV.- On the action of the Municipality of Liberia. In the case under study, the competence of the municipal entity to administer the local interests and services of the canton of Liberia is unquestionable, as established by the Constitución Política itself in its Article 169, granting it municipal autonomy for this purpose (Article 170 ibid). While it is true that Article 169 does not define nor provide further elements of judgment to definitively extract what should be understood by "local interests and services," this Chamber has stated on other occasions that it is an indeterminate legal concept, such as "public order" or "good customs," to cite some that the Constitución also uses; however, this Chamber has also admitted that:

"...the power attributed to local governments to plan urban development within the limits of their territory does form part of the constitutional concept of 'local interests and services' referred to in Article 169 of the Constitución (…)" (see, among others, judgment number 5757-94 at fifteen hours three minutes on October fourth, nineteen ninety-four).

Thus, the constitutional regulations find development in current legislation and specifically, Article 1 of the Ley de Construcciones clearly determines that the Municipalities of the Republic are responsible for ensuring that cities and other populations meet the necessary conditions of safety, healthiness, and beauty in their public roads and in the buildings and constructions erected on their lands, without prejudice to the powers that laws grant in these matters to other administrative bodies. Likewise, Article 15 of the Ley de Planificación Urbana recognizes the competence and authority of municipal governments to plan and control urban development within the limits of their jurisdictional territory, and Article 13 subsection g) of the Código Municipal indicates that it is an attribution of the Council to dictate urban planning measures. Similarly, it cannot be overlooked that the State, in this case specifically through the municipalities, has the obligation to regulate areas of social life from which dangers to the physical existence of the inhabitants of its territory may arise, whether through law, regulations, agreements, or other measures related to administrative organization and procedures, and from the subjective right of persons to have this proceed diligently. Consequently, the possibility of judicially demanding, through the remedy of amparo, a specific type of benefit activity from the State, in fulfillment of its duty to protect the life and physical integrity of its inhabitants, is restricted to the clear verification of an imminent danger against those rights of persons, from which it follows that the intervention of the constitutional jurisdiction is only viable in the face of proven inertia by the State, through its competent bodies, in addressing the demands that the country's inhabitants make in the exercise of their rights (see in this regard, judgment number 2005-01713 at fourteen hours fifty-three minutes on February twenty-third, two thousand five).

V.- The foregoing is evidently occurring in the specific case, with the arguments made by the appellants before this Chamber and which have been held as proven. Indeed, as emerges from the statement of proven facts, this Tribunal has held as demonstrated that, in the area referred to by the appellants, serious flooding problems have been occurring, which have been aggravated by the construction of a perimeter wall at the Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca, which has served as a dam allowing water stagnation, reaching the extreme that, in recent events, given the intensity of the rains that fell last April and August, caused part of that wall to collapse. Similarly, based on the documents in the case file, this Tribunal observes that the constructions carried out in the area referred to by the appellants have been done without stormwater infrastructure, curb and gutter, with poor development and urban growth planning, this being, without any doubt, one of the reasons why the serious flooding problems being reported are now occurring. For its part, the Colegio de Ingenieros y Arquitectos de Costa Rica itself, in an inspection conducted in July two thousand nine, concluded in the technical report rendered to that effect that the sector has stormwater evacuation problems; that the Municipality of Liberia granted a construction permit to the Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca Project in an area that is rural and its use is restricted to agricultural activity; that the area receives stormwater from other sectors of the city of Liberia, so the volumes of water received by the sector are of considerable proportions and an adequate evacuation system that prevents the generation of floods does not exist; that the lack of an adequate evacuation system and the construction of the perimeter wall of the Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca project could intensify flooding of the adjacent lands and homes; and that homes built within the right-of-way of public roads were observed, which are prohibited in Article 28 of the Ley General de Caminos Públicos.

Given this panorama, it is evident that the Municipality of Liberia bears great responsibility for the reported events, and this Court even considers its performance to have been negligent, because despite having been aware of the situation and the technical criteria issued in this regard, it has not only permitted the construction of various buildings in that area but has also done so without foreseeing the consequences that could arise and without compelling the interested parties, in a categorical and responsible manner, to adopt preventive measures to avoid what is now occurring: that when heavy rains fall, these areas, which by their very nature are already prone to flooding, become inundated. While it is true that it has been indicated under oath that measures have recently been adopted to mitigate the problem, which has been attempted through the construction of storm drainage channels (canales de desfogue pluvial) to drain the waters of the micro-basin (microcuenca), it is also true that these measures have not produced the desired result. Indeed, the opposite has occurred, because had such channels functioned as expected, the flooding of several homes in the area would not have occurred on the tenth of August, since the water, as reported by the authorities of the Ministry of Health, not only knocked down another portion of the aforementioned wall but also reached a height greater than one meter in some points, thereby causing not only damage to the material property of the affected families but also seriously endangering their lives at that moment, and also after the event, for it is no secret that this type of natural situation produces environmental contamination and subsequently the proliferation of mosquitoes, which ultimately translates into an ideal environment for the development of the mosquito that transmits dengue; a disease that has been a serious problem in the Guanacaste area.

**VI.-** For these reasons, it is evident, in this Court's opinion, that negligence on the part of the Municipality of Liberia has indeed occurred, and therefore the amparo (amparo) must also be granted with respect to this entity, since its actions and omissions have fostered situations that, combined with the effects of nature, place the petitioners and other residents of the area in the situation they are in. Under this perspective, it is unacceptable to this Chamber that, if the Municipality of Liberia has had knowledge of the particular conditions present in the area referred to by the petitioners, it has permitted the development of human settlements and housing infrastructure, and worse still, that it has tolerated it without compliance with minimum requirements such as stormwater infrastructure, curb and gutter (cordón y caño), among others, which they even admit under oath by stating that there has been "poor planning of urban development and growth," without the excuse being valid that this is not the direct responsibility of that Municipality, as is also argued under oath, since it is evident that, in light of the jurisprudence (jurisprudencia) established by this Chamber and the current regulations, this undoubtedly refers to the administration of local interests and services; a municipal competence that is unquestionable, as determined by the Political Constitution itself in its article 169, granting for this purpose municipal autonomy (article 170 ibid). Let the municipal authorities remember that, for the execution of their functions, the legal system grants them instruments and mechanisms for the sake of providing the greatest security and tranquility to the residents, especially considering that this type of problem, in addition to generating disruptions to the security and tranquility of the people, can also become a serious public health matter regarding which it is essential to adopt concrete actions for its elimination. For these reasons, this remedy (recurso) is the appropriate and necessary means to compel the respondent parties of the Municipality of Liberia to comply with their obligation with urgency, a reason for which it must be granted, and the appropriate action is to order the President of the Municipal Council and the Mayor, that in coordination with other institutions and within the scope of their powers, they immediately proceed to adopt the necessary measures to provide a definitive solution to the problem reported by the petitioners.- **Por tanto:** The remedy (recurso) is declared with merit. Mauricio Vargas Fuentes, in his capacity as Vice Minister of Health, Carlos Luis Marín Muñoz in his capacity as Municipal Mayor, and Eugenio Román Ocampo as President of the Municipal Council, both of the Municipality of Liberia, or whoever holds those positions in their stead, are ordered to proceed in a coordinated and immediate manner to adopt the corresponding measures within the scope of their powers to provide a definitive solution to the problem reported by the petitioners. Likewise, they are warned that failure to comply with said order shall constitute the crime of disobedience and that, in accordance with article 71 of the Law of this jurisdiction, a prison sentence of three months to two years, or a fine of twenty to sixty days, shall be imposed on anyone who receives an order that must be complied with or enforced, issued in an amparo proceeding, and fails to comply with it or enforce it, provided the crime is not more severely punished. The State and the Municipality of Liberia are ordered to pay the costs, damages, and losses (costas, daños y perjuicios) caused by the facts that serve as the basis for this declaration, which shall be liquidated in the enforcement of judgment phase of the administrative litigation (ejecución de sentencia de lo contencioso administrativo). This resolution is to be personally notified to Mauricio Vargas Fuentes in his capacity as Vice Minister of Health, to Carlos Luis Marín Muñoz in his capacity as Municipal Mayor, and to Eugenio Román Ocampo as President of the Municipal Council, both of the Municipality of Liberia, or to whoever holds those positions in their stead.- Gilbert Armijo S.

Presidente a.i.

Ernesto Jinesta L. Fernando Cruz C.

Fernando Castillo V. Roxana Salazar C.

Víctor Ardón A. José Paulino Hernández G.

On repeated occasions, this Chamber has indicated that the Ministry of Health is responsible for ensuring and supervising the proper collection, treatment, and final disposal of stormwater, being the authority responsible for ordering those measures and provisions, ordinary and extraordinary, that are technically appropriate for the protection, conservation, and improvement of people's health and their right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, under the protection of the provisions of Articles 21 and 50 of the Political Constitution in relation to Article 2 of the Organic Law of the Ministry of Health and Article 340 of the General Health Law. The authorities of the Ministry of Health, therefore, have the obligation to ensure the application and control of compliance with the existing regulatory provisions on the matter and, for this purpose, they also have the police power, with which that Ministry has been endowed, to supervise the proper functioning of sewer systems, in order to avoid risks or damages to people's health or their right to enjoy a healthy and ecologically balanced environment (see in this regard, judgments numbers 2008-009350 at eleven hours twenty-five minutes on June fourth, two thousand eight, 2008-010669 at sixteen hours fifty-five minutes on June twenty-sixth, two thousand eight, and 2009-000908 at thirteen hours thirty-four minutes on January twenty-third, two thousand nine, among others). Now, in the specific case, based on the report rendered to the Chamber by the Vice Minister of Health and the evidence that has been contributed to the case file, the claim of the petitioners has been proven. Indeed, it appears from the case file that, in response to complaints filed by neighbors of the area where the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium in Liberia is located, which highlighted serious flooding problems, officials from the Liberia Health Governing Area conducted several on-site inspections and were able to verify that, in that sector of the city of Liberia, due to the flat topography of the land and the lack of a stormwater disposal system, during medium or high-intensity rainfall events, the wall (tapia) of that condominium acts as a dam, resulting in water stagnation, recommending the construction of an adequate stormwater disposal system on public roads, as well as the channeling of water reaching the wall (tapia) toward the proposed system. Based on what the Ministry of Health officials observed during an inspection they conducted in July two thousand nine, they proceeded on the following July twenty-second to issue two sanitary orders directed to the President of the Municipal Council and the Mayor, both of the Municipality of Liberia, in which they ordered them to submit a plan contemplating the construction of the recommended system, as well as the channeling of waters reaching the wall (tapia), because that Municipality granted authorization and a construction permit for the said wall (tapia). The case file reveals various technical reports, including one issued by a geologist from the National Commission for Risk Prevention and Emergency Response, which indicate that the wall (tapia) surrounding the aforementioned condominium acts as a barrier to water mobilization, whereby the flooding problem that already existed in the location is exacerbated by this construction, for which reason it is recommended to construct an adequate stormwater disposal system on public roads, as well as channel the waters reaching the wall (tapia) toward the proposed system, and to create more drainage outlets in the wall (tapia). It is recorded in the case file that, due to the weather phenomena that have occurred during two thousand ten, on April thirtieth and August tenth, new complaints were received at the Liberia Governing Area, in which neighbors complained of serious flooding, which was confirmed by Ministry of Health officials when conducting an on-site inspection and verifying flooding of homes up to a height of forty-five centimeters on one day and up to one meter on August tenth, as well as a portion of the wall (tapia) having been torn down in several sectors by the force of the water. Due to these recent events, the authorities of the Ministry of Health have issued a sanitary order to the owners of the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium residential complex, in which they have ordered them to stop the reconstruction of the wall (tapia) until it can be guaranteed that this structure will not represent an aggravation of the flooding in the area.

III.- Based on the foregoing, the Chamber considers that the actions of the Ministry of Health officials, while directed at finding solutions to the problems that have arisen in the area referred to by the petitioners, have not been as forceful as required in order for the problem to be definitively resolved. It should be remembered that the Ministry of Health has a series of mechanisms granted by the legal system itself, which do not appear to have been used in this specific case, since had they been used, a definitive solution might have already been found. For these reasons, it is essential to declare the appeal with merit regarding the Ministry of Health, in order that, in coordination with the competent institutions, it adopts the necessary measures so that, within the scope of its competencies, a definitive solution to the problem denounced in this amparo can be achieved.

IV.- On the actions of the Municipality of Liberia. In the case under study, the competence of the municipal entity to administer the local interests and services of the canton of Liberia is unquestionable, as determined by the Political Constitution itself in its Article 169, granting it municipal autonomy for this purpose (Article 170 ibid.). While it is true that Article 169 does not define or provide greater elements of judgment to definitively extract what should be understood by "local interests and services," the Chamber on other occasions has stated that it is an indeterminate legal concept like those of "public order" or "good customs," to name a few that the Constitution also uses; however, the Chamber has also admitted that:

"…the power attributed to local governments to plan urban development within the limits of their territory does integrate the constitutional concept of 'local interests and services' referred to in Article 169 of the Constitution (…)" (see, among others, judgment number 5757-94 at fifteen hours three minutes on October fourth, nineteen ninety-four).

Thus, constitutional norms are developed in current legislation, and specifically, Article 1 of the Construction Law clearly determines that the Municipalities of the Republic are responsible for ensuring that cities and other towns meet the necessary conditions of safety, health, and beauty in their public roads and in the buildings and constructions erected on their lands, without prejudice to the powers that laws grant in these matters to other administrative bodies. Likewise, Article 15 of the Urban Planning Law recognizes the competence and authority of municipal governments to plan and control urban development within the limits of their jurisdictional territory, and Article 13 subsection g) of the Municipal Code indicates that it is the authority of the Council to dictate urban planning measures. Similarly, it cannot be overlooked that the State, in this case specifically through the municipalities, has the obligation to regulate areas of social life from which dangers to the physical existence of the inhabitants of its territory may arise, whether through law, regulations, agreements, or other measures related to administrative organization and procedures, and the subjective right of individuals to have this done diligently. Consequently, the possibility of judicially demanding, through the amparo remedy, a specific type of performance activity from the State, in compliance with its duty to protect the life and physical integrity of its inhabitants, is restricted to the clear verification of an imminent danger against those rights of individuals, from which it follows that the intervention of the constitutional jurisdiction is only viable in the face of proven inertia by the State, through its competent bodies, in attending to the demands made by the country's inhabitants in the exercise of their rights (see in this regard judgment number 2005-01713 at fourteen hours fifty-three minutes on February twenty-third, two thousand five).

V.- The foregoing evidently occurs in this specific case, with the arguments made by the petitioners before this Chamber and which have been proven. Indeed, as is evident from the statement of proven facts, this Court has demonstrated that, in the area referred to by the petitioners, serious flooding problems have been occurring, which have been aggravated by the construction of a perimeter wall (tapia) at the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium, which has served as a dam allowing water stagnation, reaching the extreme that, in recent events, given the intensity of the rains in April and August of the previous year, part of that wall (tapia) collapsed. Likewise, based on the documents contained in the case file, this Court observes that the constructions carried out in the area referred to by the petitioners have been carried out without stormwater infrastructure, curb and gutter, with poor development and urban growth planning, this being, without a doubt, one of the reasons why the serious flooding problems being denounced are now occurring. For its part, the Colegio de Ingenieros y Arquitectos de Costa Rica (College of Engineers and Architects of Costa Rica), during an inspection conducted in July two thousand nine, concluded in the technical report rendered for that purpose, that the sector presents stormwater evacuation problems; that the Municipality of Liberia granted a construction permit for the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium Project, in an area that is rural and its use is restricted to agricultural activity; that the area receives stormwater from other sectors of the city of Liberia, so the volumes of water the sector receives are of considerable proportions and there is no adequate evacuation system to prevent flooding; that the lack of an adequate evacuation system and the construction of the perimeter wall (tapia) of the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium project could intensify the flooding of adjacent lands and homes; and that homes were observed built within the right-of-way of public roads, which are prohibited by Article 28 of the General Law of Public Roads. In light of this scenario, it is evident that the Municipality of Liberia has a great responsibility in the denounced events, this Court even considering that its performance has been negligent because, despite having been aware of the situation and the technical criteria issued in this regard, it has allowed not only the construction of several buildings in that area but also has done so without foreseeing the consequences that could arise and without compelling the interested parties, in a forceful and responsible manner, to adopt preventive measures to avoid what is now occurring, that when heavy rains fall, these areas flood – areas that, by their very nature, are already prone to flooding. While it is true that it has been indicated under oath that measures have recently been adopted to mitigate the problem, which has been attempted through the construction of stormwater drainage channels to drain the waters of the micro-basin, it is also true that these measures have not yielded the desired result. Indeed, the opposite has occurred, for had such channels functioned as expected, on last August tenth, the flooding of several homes in the area would not have occurred, since the water, as reported by the Ministry of Health authorities, not only knocked down another part of the said wall (tapia) but reached a height greater than one meter at some points, thereby causing not only damage to the material property of the involved families but also seriously endangering their lives at that moment, and also subsequent to the event, since it is no secret to anyone that this type of natural situation produces environmental contamination and subsequently the proliferation of mosquitoes, which, ultimately, translates into an ideal environment for the development of the mosquito that transmits dengue; a disease that has been a serious problem in the Guanacaste area.

VI.- For these reasons, it is evident that, in the opinion of this Court, negligence on the part of the Municipality of Liberia has indeed occurred, for which the amparo must also be granted regarding this entity, since its actions and omissions have fostered situations that, combined with the effects of nature, place the petitioners and other neighbors of the area in the situation in which they find themselves. From this perspective, the Chamber cannot accept that if the Municipality of Liberia has been aware of the particular conditions presented by the area referred to by the petitioners, it allowed the development of populations and residential infrastructure, and even worse, tolerated it without compliance with minimum requirements such as stormwater infrastructure, curb and gutters, among others, which it even admits under oath by stating that there has been "poor development and urban growth planning," without the excuse that this is not the direct responsibility of that Municipality, as is also argued under oath, being valid, since it is evident that, in light of the jurisprudence established by this Chamber and current regulations, this undoubtedly refers to the administration of local interests and services; municipal competence that is unquestionable, as determined by the Political Constitution itself in its Article 169, granting it municipal autonomy for this purpose (Article 170 ibid.). Let the municipal authorities remember that, for the execution of their functions, the legal system grants them instruments and mechanisms in order to provide the greatest security and tranquility to the citizens, especially considering that this type of problem, in addition to generating disruptions to the security and tranquility of people, can also become a serious public health matter regarding which it is essential to adopt concrete actions for its elimination.

For these reasons, this remedy is the appropriate and necessary means to compel the respondents, the Municipality of Liberia, to fulfill their obligation with speed, which is why it must be granted. The proper course is to order the President of the Municipal Council and the Mayor, in a coordinated manner with other institutions and within the scope of their powers, to immediately proceed to adopt the necessary measures to provide a definitive solution to the problem reported by the petitioners.–” They state that, for this reason, since May two thousand nine, a hydrological study and remedial measures plan were developed for the adequate drainage of the micro-watersheds of the quebrada Arena. They indicate that this micro-watershed consists of approximately one hundred fifty-four hectares, and a series of under-urbanized neighborhoods are located therein, which accentuates the problem of inadequate stormwater management. They point out that a procurement was made for more in-depth engineering studies, called “Estudios Hidrológicos y Propuestas para el Control de las Inundaciones en la Ciudad de Liberia”, with the objective of obtaining a real picture of the problem and the works that are required. They add that, from the studies conducted, the construction of four stormwater evacuation channels is proposed, which once built, will provide a solution to the flooding problems, specifically in the area pointed out by the appellants. They indicate that, additionally, a proposal is given for the improvement of the channels of the river and quebrada that are the receiving bodies of the waters. They indicate that the aforementioned Department listed, in its official communication, the works carried out to date by the Municipality of Liberia, with the objective of progressively and systematically, depending on the budgetary capacity of the Municipal Corporation, providing a solution to a problem that has existed since the very moment these settlements were born and which, for over seventy years, had not previously received any type of competent intervention for this intrinsic problem of the sector. They state that, based on that report, three stormwater discharge channels have been built to drain the waters of the micro-watershed under study, with the following detail: a) the channel for discharge point 3 (according to the hydrological study) has already been built, it was processed under administrative file (LA-00001-02), the built work has a total length of seven hundred five linear meters, a trapezoidal cross-section with a one and a half meter base, three meters top width, and seventy centimeters height, being lined with concrete with a strength of two hundred ten kilograms per square centimeter and ten centimeters thickness; it had a total cost of ninety-five million colones. It indicates that in the same scope, the crossing over the Inter-American Route (Route 1) will be expanded to increase the capacity of this channel, with this work to begin in a few weeks and the permits of the National Roadway Council (Consejo Nacional de Vialidad) already obtained through Eng. Carlos Acosta; b) the channel for discharge point 2 (according to the hydrological study) has already been fully excavated, nine provisional culvert crossings were built, and approximately twenty million colones have been invested so far; c) for the channel of discharge point 1, the approval by the National Directorate for Community Development (Dirección Nacional de Desarrollo de las Comunidades) of the project funds is awaited, in order to commence the works; topographic surveys have been carried out for the execution of these excavations; d) for discharge channel four (according to the hydrological study), excavation was carried out, with a length of two hundred twenty meters, and the installation of a ninety-meter-long drainage system is proceeding, with a culvert of one meter and five centimeters in diameter; this channel is currently under construction and is located in front of the street of the allegedly affected persons, and this has involved an investment of approximately five million colones; discharge point four is where the waters of the micro-watershed are drained, where the problem that gives rise to this amparo originates. They indicate that an improvement was also made to the channel of the quebrada La Arena, the receiving water body, with the objective of fostering adequate drainage of the channels. They point out that, furthermore, advanced conversations are underway (on a third party's land) for the excavation of another channel to intercept water at a higher point in the micro-watershed, which would further reduce the flow to the lowest points of the watershed, which is precisely where the human settlements are located. They argue that, in addition to these works, others have been carried out in the lowest part of the micro-watershed in the Barrio La Cruz sector, where a channel of three hundred thirty meters in length has been excavated for the evacuation of waters. They add that approximately eighty linear meters of stormwater drainage have been installed; a crossover culvert was also built, with a rectangular cross-section of two meters wide and one and a half meters high, and approximately fifteen million colones have been invested to date. They indicate that, on a more general level that includes the area in conflict, a hydrological study was procured, with proposals for flood mitigation in the city of Liberia (LA-00001-02), which contemplates all the micro-watersheds of the city of Liberia, for the topographic survey of the channels of the following water bodies: río Santa Inés, río Claro, quebrada Piches, quebrada Panteón, río Liberia, quebrada Carreta, and quebrada La Arena. They indicate that, as a product of this study, the overflow risk presented by the quebrada La Arena was determined for return periods exceeding five years. They argue that these studies and works carried out to date represent the greatest effort made in the history of the Municipal Corporation to provide a solution, based on the most solid scientific concepts applied to engineering, to the flooding problem that occurs in this sector of the city of Liberia. They mention that, currently, the installation of ninety-seven meters of thirty-four-inch stormwater pipe is under execution, which is being placed from the quebrada La Arena, along the road, in the direction of the dwellings located in the sector under discussion, with the intention of solving the problem according to what is budgeted. They indicate that it cannot be ignored that this year, there have been rainfall amounts greater than the historical average (a worldwide phenomenon) for the canton, which causes an increase in flooding problems; this is evident according to the June bulletin of the National Meteorological Institute (Instituto Metereológico Nacional, IMN). They clarify that the road or street where the appellants' properties are located are rural roads, meaning they do not belong to the urban center of the city; it is a dirt road. The construction permits requested along the road have been for single-family dwellings; they do not belong to urban development projects. These are located facing a street that lacks the respective curb and gutter, as well as stormwater infrastructure, with these people being fully aware of the situation when they acquire the land and build, said persons being responsible and aware that they are building in a rural zone without stormwater infrastructure, curb and gutter, as is a requirement for any urban development or housing project; nonetheless, great efforts have been made to try to resolve the water problem in that sector. They consider that it is not true that there is no adequate channelization of stormwater, as the situation occurring in that sector is due to its topography and soil type (high impermeability) and poor development and urban growth planning, which is not the direct responsibility of the Municipality; nonetheless, there are many works and investments that have been made, are in process, and will be carried out in that sector, with the faithful objective of providing a serious and definitive solution to the problem that has existed for years in that sector. They add that, regarding the perimeter wall of the Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca, it has been stated to the Ministry of Health and the Ombudsman's Office (Defensoría de los Habitantes) that this wall was processed in accordance with legal requirements, meaning that the persons requesting municipal permits fully submitted the requirements demanded by the Municipality, including the corresponding environmental viabilities issued by the National Environmental Technical Secretariat (Secretaría Técnica Nacional Ambiental, SETENA); given that everything was found to be in order, the corresponding permit was granted, and therefore the wall was built lawfully. They clarify that the Municipality respects the permits granted by other institutions. They indicate that according to a report from the Department of Urban Development and Control, this matter has already been discussed with the person in charge of managing this residential project, and measures have been adopted such as opening breaches in the wall and constructing sub-drainages that lower the water table of the lands adjacent to the walls, thus reducing the natural stagnation of waters due to the land's topography. They add that there is resolution number 02252-2009-SETENA, by which it was dismissed that the wall is the main cause of the problem. They indicate that according to a report from the cited department, the measures taken regarding the wall have been adopted through conciliation, since the flooding problems in the sector are due to factors not exclusive to the wall, as well as extraordinary climatological events that have occurred in recent years, causing stormwater runoff levels greater than normal. They point out that it is no secret that in the last three years, Liberia has experienced rainfall greater than the normal average, due to the worldwide climatological phenomenon, which accentuates stormwater management problems and causes the general population to assume, without solid technical foundations, various causes for the origin of these problems. They deem it untrue that the Municipality of Liberia has done nothing regarding the wall indicated by the appellants, as mentioned, although it is not the origin of the problem, actions have indeed been taken by the Municipality aimed at mitigating the problems of the neighbors in that sector, part of which being coordination with the owners of the residential complex bordered by the wall, so that they would arrange, as was indeed done, the necessary works aimed at preventing greater problems for the local neighbors during the winter season. They deem that all material efforts have been made to provide a solution to a historical problem of that sector, which had been omitted over the years by different Administrations, as well as by the fact that it is only until a few years ago that this sector has been growing in an uncontrolled urban manner, and it is only now that an attempt has been made to provide a prompt and effective solution to the problems raised by the neighbors in that sector. They indicate that the criminal case initiated due to the sanitary orders has been dismissed and was never personally notified, this being a preponderant factor for establishing the responsibility of the official responsible for enforcing the order in the event of a potential omission, and likewise for establishing disobedience; presumptions that did not occur in the specific case, as declared by the corresponding Court. They point out that the matter regarding the collapse of the wall and the floods are events that are beyond the possibilities of the municipality, as they are due to natural disasters. They add that in an inspection conducted with officials of the Ministry of Health, it was verified that the wall did not cause damage to third parties but rather to the residential complex itself, so the argument formulated by the appellants on this point is inadmissible. They reiterate that measures have already been adopted to try to solve the problems afflicting the neighbors of the sector, which has meant an investment in the millions, but much work remains to be done, at a high cost, which is in process and will be executed as administrative procedures and administrative resources permit. They state that the matter regarding the dengue problem is an issue for the Ministry of Health, but the Municipality has always supported fumigation campaigns for the elimination of mosquito breeding sites, with an inter-institutional cooperation agreement currently being processed with that Ministry to donate diesel and gasoline to carry out a fumigation campaign against the dengue mosquito in the canton. They deem that the fundamental rights of the appellants have not been violated, and therefore they request that the appeal be declared without merit.

**4.-** Vanessa Rosales Ardón testifies under oath, in her capacity as Executive President of the National Commission for Risk Prevention and Emergency Response (Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias, CNE) (folio 163), that in Technical Report DPM-INF-1032-2009 prepared by geologist Daniela Herra Herrera of the Department of Prevention and Mitigation, an account is given of the prevention and mitigation measures that are recommended and must be assumed by both the property owners and the local government of the area. She indicates that the principle of coordination must respect the autonomy and independence of each institution, that is, their scope of competence, so it is not the responsibility of the Commission she represents to administer cantonal interests and services. She considers that the local government is the main actor to execute the recommended actions given by the Commission she represents, being the principal obligor to heed the observations and take the corrective measures appropriate to the case. She points out that the entity she represents has collaborated in conducting an inspection with technical criteria, so that corresponding measures are taken by the competent government entities in the matter. She deems that the entity she represents has not incurred in any violation of the appellants' fundamental rights, and therefore requests that the appeal be declared without merit.

**5.-** In the writing on folio 175, submitted unsigned, the arguments raised in the amparo filing brief are reiterated.

**Considering:** **I.- Proven facts.** Of importance for the decision of this matter, the following facts are deemed duly demonstrated: **a)** that on June twenty-ninth, two thousand nine, the appellant Lobo Barrantes, filed a complaint before the Liberia Health Governing Area against the construction of a perimeter wall owned by the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium Urban Project, alleging it was causing the flooding of several properties and water stagnation (see sworn statements on folio 16 and document on folio 127); **b)** that the regional engineer of the Ministry of Health carried out an inspection and reported in official report RCH-IR-119-09 of July tenth, two thousand nine, that due to the flat topography of the land in the area and the deficiency or nonexistence of a stormwater disposal system, during a medium or high intensity rainfall event, the wall acts as a dam resulting in water stagnation, recommending the construction of an adequate stormwater disposal system on public roads and the channeling of waters reaching the wall (see sworn statements on folio 16 and document on folio 124); **c)** that on July twenty-second, two thousand nine, sanitary orders numbers 166-2009 and 167-2009 were issued to the President of the Municipal Council and the Municipal Mayor, both of the Municipality of Liberia, ordering the submission of a plan contemplating the construction of the recommended system as well as the channeling of the waters reaching the wall, which had a permit issued by the Municipality of Liberia (see sworn statements on folio 16 and documents on folios 120 to 123); **d)** that in response to the sanitary orders, on July twenty-seventh, two thousand nine, the Ministry of Health received official report OF-DCU-467-07-2009 from the municipal engineer indicating that, according to preliminary hydrological analyses, it was determined that the construction of the wall causes an impediment to the flow of waters in the direction of the natural slope, and they would therefore refer the case to legal services for assessment (see sworn statements on folio 16); **e)** that in technical report DPM-INF-1032-2009 of August twentieth, two thousand nine, geologist Daniela Herra Herrera of the National Commission for Risk Prevention and Emergency Response, indicated that the cited wall acts as a barrier to water mobilization, therefore exacerbating the flooding problem at the site, recommending more water evacuation outlets be made in the wall (see sworn statements on folio 17 and document on folio 96); **f)** that on September eighteenth, two thousand nine, the Liberia Health Governing Area, filed complaint number 023-2009 before the Liberia Prosecutor's Office against the Mayor of Liberia, for the crime of disobedience to public authority for having failed to comply with what was ordered by the health authorities in sanitary order number 167-2009 (see sworn statements on folio 17 and document on folio 92); **g)** that on July thirtieth, two thousand nine, the Mayor of Liberia filed a motion for reconsideration with a subsidiary appeal against sanitary order number 167-2009. On August sixth following, the Chorotega Regional Health Governing Directorate rejected that reconsideration as inadmissible, and on December third following, in resolution DM-JB-4989-09, the Minister of Health declared the appeal without merit, ordering compliance with the mentioned sanitary order, ruling that the Governing Area must follow up on the case and not allow the water stagnation problem to continue endangering the health and safety of persons (see sworn statements on folio 17 and documents on folios 84, 103 to 109, and 113); **h)** that in inspection report CH-ARS-LI-ERS-367-2010 from the Regulation Team of the Liberia Health Governing Area, it was indicated that on April thirtieth, two thousand ten, the rain had flooded homes up to a height of forty-five centimeters and that a section of the urbanization's wall was forcefully torn down for about forty meters (see sworn statements on folio 17 and document on folio 71); **i)** that through official report OF-DCU#371-07-2010, the municipal engineer communicated to the Liberia Health Area the proposal to build three channels for stormwater evacuation, as well as the agreement with the residential complex owners for the construction of a subdrainage system to allow greater infiltration capacity on the properties adjacent to the wall, in order to lower the water level on those properties (see sworn statements on folio 18 and document on folio 44); **j)** that following a call received on August eleventh, two thousand ten, from a neighbor of the El Mocho de Santa Lucía community, an on-site inspection was conducted and homes were found flooded due to the heavy downpour that day, with the water reaching a height greater than one meter, affecting all the families' belongings, producing contamination and mosquito proliferation, with potential danger to public health, besides the wall being torn down again by the force of the water (see sworn statements on folio 18 and document on folio 32); **k)** that on August twelfth, two thousand ten, through resolution CH-ARS-LI-DA-406-2010, the Directorate of the Liberia Governing Area resolved to notify a sanitary order to the owners of the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium residential complex, ordering them to halt the reconstruction of the wall in the sector where it was torn down by the force of the water, which must be maintained until it can be guaranteed that the structure will not represent a worsening of the flooding in the area in question (see sworn statements on folio 18 and document on folio 27); **l)** that on August thirteenth, two thousand ten, sanitary order number 278-2010 was notified to the owners of the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium, ordering them to halt the reconstruction of the wall (see sworn statements on folio 18 and document on folio 25); **ll)** that the sector referred to by the appellants has, since its beginnings, been characterized by flooding problems and is located in the La Arena river micro-watershed, and being located in the lower part, this causes the area to be the final receiver of stormwater runoff from sectors located in higher areas (see sworn statements on folio 129); **m)** that in two thousand nine, a hydrological study was conducted in the area, from which the construction of four stormwater evacuation channels was proposed, which, once built, would provide a solution to the flooding problems, specifically in the area referred to by the appellants (see sworn statements on folio 130); **n)** that to date, three stormwater drainage channels have been built to drain the waters of the indicated micro-watershed, and the construction of a fourth channel is expected, once the budget is approved by the National Directorate for Community Development (see sworn statements on folio 130); **ñ)** that improvements have been made to the course of the La Arena stream with the objective of promoting adequate drainage of the channels, and advanced conversations are underway for the excavation of another channel to intercept waters at a higher point of the micro-watershed, in order to further reduce the flow to the lowest points of the watershed, which is where the human settlements are (see sworn statements on folio 131); **o)** that the constructions carried out in the area referred to by the appellants have been carried out without stormwater infrastructure, curb and gutter, with poor urban development and growth planning (see sworn statements on folio 133); **p)** that the authorities of the Municipality of Liberia have addressed the issue of the wall with the person in charge of managing the residential project, and measures have been adopted such as opening gaps in the wall and constructing subdrainages that lower the water table of the lands adjacent to the walls, thereby reducing the natural stagnation of waters due to the land's topography (see sworn statements on folio 133); **q)** that the College of Engineers and Architects of Costa Rica conducted an inspection in the area referred to by the appellants to verify the stormwater evacuation system of the Santa Lucía-La Arena sector and concluded that: a) the sector has stormwater evacuation problems; b) the Municipality of Liberia granted a construction permit for the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium Project, in an area that is rural and whose use is restricted to agricultural activity; c) the area receives stormwater from other sectors of the city of Liberia, meaning the volumes of water the sector receives are considerable, and there is no adequate evacuation system to prevent flooding; d) the lack of an adequate evacuation system and the construction of the perimeter wall of the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium project could intensify the flooding of adjacent lands and homes; e) homes were observed built within the right-of-way of public roads, which are prohibited by Article 28 of the General Law of Public Roads (folio 192).

**II.- Regarding the action of the Ministry of Health.** This Chamber has repeatedly indicated that the Ministry of Health is responsible for overseeing and supervising the proper collection, treatment, and final disposal of stormwater, being the authority responsible for ordering those measures and provisions, ordinary and extraordinary, that are technically appropriate for the protection, conservation, and improvement of people's health and their right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, under the provisions of Articles 21 and 50 of the Political Constitution in relation to Article 2 of the Organic Law of the Ministry of Health and Article 340 of the General Health Law. The authorities of the Ministry of Health then have the obligation to ensure the application and control of compliance with the existing normative provisions on the matter, and for this purpose, they also have the police power vested in that Ministry to supervise the proper functioning of sewerage systems, in order to avoid risks or damages to people's health or their right to enjoy a healthy and ecologically balanced environment (see in this regard, judgments numbers 2008-009350 of eleven hours twenty-five minutes on June fourth, two thousand eight, 2008-010669 of sixteen hours fifty-five minutes on June twenty-sixth, two thousand eight, and 2009-000908 of thirteen hours thirty-four minutes on January twenty-third, two thousand nine, among others). Now, in the specific case, based on the report rendered to the Chamber by the Vice Minister of Health and the evidence that has been provided to the case file, the claims of the appellants have been accredited. Indeed, it follows from the case file that, given complaints filed by neighbors of the area where the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium is located in Liberia, which highlighted serious flooding problems, officials of the Liberia Health Governing Area conducted several on-site inspections and were able to verify that, in that sector of the city of Liberia, due to the flat topography of the land and the nonexistence of a stormwater disposal system, during medium or high intensity rainfall events, the wall of that condominium acts as a dam resulting in water stagnation, and they recommended the construction of an adequate stormwater disposal system on public roads, as well as the channeling of the waters reaching the wall toward the proposed system. Based on what the Ministry of Health officials observed during an inspection they conducted in July two thousand nine, they proceeded on July twenty-second following to issue two sanitary orders addressed to the President of the Municipal Council and the Mayor, both of the Municipality of Liberia, ordering them to submit a plan contemplating the construction of the recommended system, as well as the channeling of the waters reaching the wall, this because that Municipality granted authorization and a construction permit for the said wall. From the case file, several technical reports emerge, including one issued by a geologist from the National Commission for Risk Prevention and Emergency Response, indicating that the wall surrounding the said condominium acts as a barrier to water mobilization, whereby the flooding problem already present in the place is exacerbated by that construction, therefore recommending the construction of an adequate stormwater disposal system on public roads, as well as the channeling of the waters reaching the wall toward the proposed system, and the creation of more water evacuation outlets in the wall. The case file shows that, due to the climatological phenomena that occurred during two thousand ten, on April thirtieth and August tenth, new complaints were received by the Liberia Governing Area, in which neighbors complained of serious flooding, which was confirmed by Ministry of Health officials upon conducting an on-site inspection and verifying flooding of homes up to a height of forty-five centimeters one day and up to one meter on August tenth, as well as a part of the wall having been torn down in several sectors by the force of the water. Due to these recent events, the authorities of the Ministry of Health issued a sanitary order to the owners of the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium residential complex, ordering them to halt the reconstruction of the wall until it can be guaranteed that this structure will not represent a worsening of the flooding in the area.

**III.-** Based on the foregoing, this Chamber considers that the action of the Ministry of Health officials, while aimed at seeking solutions to the problems that have arisen in the area referred to by the appellants, has also certainly not been as forceful as required to ensure the problem is resolved definitively. It must be remembered that the Ministry of Health has a series of mechanisms granted by the legal system itself, which are not observed to have been used in this specific case, since had they been, perhaps a definitive solution would have already been found. For these reasons, it is essential to grant the appeal with respect to the Ministry of Health, so that, in a coordinated manner with the competent institutions, it adopts the necessary measures so that, within the scope of its competencies, a definitive solution to the problems denounced in this amparo can be achieved.

**IV.- Regarding the action of the Municipality of Liberia.** In the case under study, the competence of the municipal entity to administer the local interests and services of the canton of Liberia is unquestionable, as determined by the Political Constitution itself in its Article 169, granting it municipal autonomy for such purposes (Article 170 ibid). While it is true that Article 169 does not define or provide further elements of judgment to definitively extract what should be understood by "local interests and services", this Chamber has previously stated that it is an indeterminate legal concept, as are "public order" or "good customs", to cite some that the Constitution also uses; however, this Chamber has also admitted that:

"…the power attributed to local governments to plan urban development within the limits of their territory does integrate the constitutional concept of 'local interests and services' referred to in Article 169 of the Constitution (…)" (see among others, judgment number 5757-94 of fifteen hours three minutes on October fourth, nineteen ninety-four).

Thus, the constitutional regulations find development in current legislation and specifically, Article 1 of the Construction Law clearly determines that the Municipalities of the Republic are responsible for ensuring that cities and other towns meet the necessary conditions of safety, healthiness, and beauty in their public roads and in the buildings and constructions erected on lands thereof, without prejudice to the powers that laws grant in these matters to other administrative bodies. Likewise, Article 15 of the Urban Planning Law recognizes the competence and authority of municipal governments to plan and control urban development within the limits of their jurisdictional territory, and Article 13 subsection g) of the Municipal Code indicates that it is an attribution of the Council to dictate urban planning measures. Similarly, it cannot be ignored that the State, in this case specifically through the municipalities, has the obligation to regulate areas of social life from which dangers to the physical existence of the inhabitants of its territory may arise, whether through law, regulations, agreements, or other measures related to administrative organization and procedures, and the subjective right of individuals to have this done diligently. Consequently, the possibility of judicially demanding, through the amparo remedy, a specific type of welfare activity from the State, in compliance with its duty to protect the life and physical integrity of its inhabitants, is restricted to the clear verification of an imminent danger against those rights of individuals, from which it follows that the interference of the constitutional jurisdiction is only viable in the face of proven inertia of the State, through its competent bodies, in attending to the demands that the country's inhabitants make in exercise of their rights (see in this regard, judgment number 2005-01713 of fourteen hours fifty-three minutes on February twenty-third, two thousand five).

**V.-** The foregoing is evident in the specific case from the arguments formulated by the appellants before this Chamber, which have been accredited. Indeed, as emerges from the list of proven facts, this Court has deemed it demonstrated that, in the area referred to by the appellants, serious flooding problems have been occurring, which have worsened with the construction of a perimeter wall in the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium, which has served as a dam allowing water stagnation, reaching the extreme that, in recent events, given the intensity of the rains in April and August of last year, caused part of that wall to collapse. Similarly, based on the documents in the case file, this Court observes that the constructions carried out in the area referred to by the appellants have been carried out without stormwater infrastructure, curb and gutter, with poor urban development and growth planning, this being, without a doubt, one of the reasons why the serious flooding problems being denounced are now occurring. For its part, the College of Engineers and Architects of Costa Rica itself, in an inspection carried out in July two thousand nine, concluded in the technical report rendered for that purpose, that the sector has stormwater evacuation problems; that the Municipality of Liberia granted a construction permit for the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium Project, in an area that is rural and whose use is restricted to agricultural activity; that the area receives stormwater from other sectors of the city of Liberia, meaning the volumes of water the sector receives are considerable, and there is no adequate evacuation system to prevent flooding; that the lack of an adequate evacuation system and the construction of the perimeter wall of the Ciudad Blanca Horizontal Condominium project could intensify the flooding of adjacent lands and homes; and that homes were observed built within the right-of-way of public roads, which are prohibited by Article 28 of the General Law of Public Roads.

Given this panorama, it is evident that the Municipality of Liberia bears great responsibility for the reported events, and this Court even considers that its performance has been negligent because, despite having been aware of the situation and the technical opinions issued regarding it, it has allowed not only the construction of several buildings in that area but has also done so without foreseeing the consequences that could arise and without compelling the interested parties, in a forceful and responsible manner, to adopt preventive measures to avoid what is now happening: that when heavy rains fall, these areas, which by their very nature are prone to flooding, become flooded. While it is true that it has been indicated under oath that measures have recently been adopted to mitigate the problem, which has been attempted through the construction of storm drainage channels to drain the waters of the micro-watershed, it is also true that these measures have not yielded the desired result. Indeed, the opposite has occurred, for had such channels functioned as expected, the flooding of several homes in the area would not have occurred on the tenth of August, since the water, as reported by Ministry of Health authorities, not only knocked down another part of the aforementioned wall but also reached a height of more than one meter at some points, thereby causing not only damage to the material property of the families involved but also placing their lives in serious danger at that moment, as well as after the event, for it is no secret that this type of natural situation produces contamination of the environment and subsequently the proliferation of mosquitoes, which ultimately translates into an ideal environment for the development of the mosquito that transmits dengue (dengue); an illness that has been a serious problem in the Guanacaste region.

**VI.-** For these reasons, it is clear, in this Court’s opinion, that negligence on the part of the Municipality of Liberia has indeed occurred, and therefore the amparo must also be granted against this entity, because its actions and omissions have fostered situations that, combined with the effects of nature, place the petitioners and other residents of the area in their current situation. From this perspective, it is unacceptable to this Chamber that if the Municipality of Liberia was aware of the particular conditions of the area referred to by the petitioners, it allowed the development of populations and residential infrastructure, and worse still, tolerated it without compliance with minimum requirements such as storm drainage infrastructure, curbs, and gutters, among others, which is even accepted under oath by affirming that there has been “poor urban development and growth planning,” without the excuse that this is not the direct responsibility of that Municipality, as is also argued under oath, since it is evident that, in light of the jurisprudence established by this Chamber and current regulations, this is undoubtedly referred to the administration of local interests and services; a municipal competence that is unquestionable, as determined by the Political Constitution itself in its Article 169, thereby granting municipal autonomy for this purpose (Article 170 ibidem). Municipal authorities should remember that, for the execution of their functions, the legal system provides them with instruments and mechanisms for the purpose of providing the greatest security and tranquility to the residents, especially considering that this type of problem, in addition to causing disruptions to the security and tranquility of individuals, can also become a serious public health matter regarding which it is essential to adopt concrete actions for its elimination. For these reasons, this appeal is the adequate and necessary means to compel the respondents of the Municipality of Liberia to fulfill their obligation with celerity, which is why it must be granted, and the proper course is to order the President of the Municipal Council and the Mayor to proceed immediately, in a coordinated manner with other institutions and within the scope of their powers, to adopt the measures necessary to provide a definitive solution to the problem reported by the petitioners.- **Por tanto:** The appeal is declared with merit. Mauricio Vargas Fuentes, in his capacity as Vice Minister of Health, Carlos Luis Marín Muñoz, in his capacity as Municipal Mayor, and Eugenio Román Ocampo, as President of the Municipal Council, both of the Municipality of Liberia, or whoever holds these positions in their stead, are ordered to proceed in a coordinated and immediate manner to adopt the corresponding measures within the scope of their powers to provide a definitive solution to the problem reported by the petitioners. Likewise, they are warned that failure to comply with said order will result in the crime of disobedience, and that, in accordance with Article 71 of the Law of this jurisdiction, anyone who receives an order that must be complied with or enforced, issued in an amparo appeal, and does not comply with it or does not enforce it, shall be subject to imprisonment of three months to two years, or a fine of twenty to sixty days, provided the offense is not more severely punished. The State and the Municipality of Liberia are ordered to pay the costs, damages, and losses caused by the acts serving as the basis for this declaration, which shall be settled in the execution of the judgment of the contentious-administrative jurisdiction. This resolution shall be personally notified to Mauricio Vargas Fuentes, in his capacity as Vice Minister of Health, Carlos Luis Marín Muñoz, in his capacity as Municipal Mayor, and Eugenio Román Ocampo, as President of the Municipal Council, both of the Municipality of Liberia, or to whoever holds these positions in their stead.- **Gilbert Armijo S.** **Presidente a.i.** **Ernesto Jinesta L. Fernando Cruz C.** **Fernando Castillo V. Roxana Salazar C.** **Víctor Ardón A. José Paulino Hernández G.**

Res. Nº 2010015772 SALA CONSTITUCIONAL DE LA CORTE SUPREMA DE JUSTICIA. San José, a las ocho horas y cincuenta y nueve minutos del veinticuatro de setiembre del dos mil diez.

Recurso de amparo interpuesto por Ernesto Delgado Vidoña, mayor, portador de la cédula de identidad 8-910-500 y María Alejandra Lobo Barrantes, mayor, cédula número 2-473-747, vecinos de La Arena de Liberia, Guanacaste; contra la Municipalidad de Liberia, el Ministerio de Salud y la Comisión Nacional de Riesgos y Prevención de Emergencias.

Resultando:

1.- Por escrito recibido en la Secretaría de la Sala a las quince horas treinta y seis minutos del doce de agosto del dos mil diez, los recurrentes interponen recurso de amparo contra la Municipalidad de Liberia, el Ministerio de Salud y la Comisión Nacional de Riesgos y Prevención de Emergencias y manifiestan que residen en la comunidad de La Arena, situada a un kilómetro y medio de Liberia. Refieren que en su comunidad se han presentado inundaciones desde el mes de mayo del dos mil nueve; situación que, principalmente, ha acaecido a raíz de una inadecuada canalización de aguas pluviales, ya que en su localidad desaguan tres barrios vecinos, lo que provoca que, con las lluvias, la calle principal se convierta en un río. Asimismo, aducen que desde febrero del dos mil nueve, se construyó una tapia de un residencial de catorce hectáreas, de nombre Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca, comercializado con el nombre de Proyecto Eco-Residencial Condominios Colonia Blanca. Explican que dicha tapia ha servido como un muro de contención, lo que aumenta la problemática expuesta. Advierten que ya requirieron ayuda a la Municipalidad recurrida, sin embargo, al no obtener respuesta, tuvieron que acudir ante la Defensoría de los Habitantes. Indican que, con ocasión de ello, el Ministerio de Salud giró una orden sanitaria contra la Municipalidad recurrida, lo que culminó en la detención del Alcalde de Liberia. Aducen que, pese a todo, en lo que ha transcurrido de este invierno, ya se han presentado dos inundaciones serias, las cuales han provocado el colapso del muro antes referido y el correlativo daño a sus viviendas. Dicen que en cada uno de estos eventos, pierden gran cantidad de bienes, e incluso, sus vidas corren peligro. Agregan a lo dicho que, en su hogar habita un adulto mayor, el cual, dadas las dimensiones de la inundación ocurrida días atrás, no pudieron evacuar; a lo que se suma la existencia de criaderos de mosquitos de dengue, según lo corroboró el Ministerio de Salud. Por lo expuesto, estiman que sus derechos fundamentales se han lesionado y piden que se declare con lugar el recurso con sus consecuencias.

2.- Informa bajo juramento Mauricio Vargas Fuentes en su calidad de Viceministro de Salud (folio 15), que el veintinueve de junio del dos mil nueve, la recurrente Lobo Barrantes, presentó ante el Área Rectora de Salud de Liberia, una denuncia contra la construcción de una tapia perimetral, propiedad del Proyecto Urbanístico Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca, aduciendo que esta construcción ha causado la inundación de varias propiedades y el estancamiento de aguas. Añade que con el fin de atender esa denuncia, se solicitó la intervención del ingeniero regional, Carlos Fernando Arguedas Mora, funcionario que realizó la inspección correspondiente, para lo cual, brindó el respectivo informe bajo el número de oficio RCH-IR-119-09 del diez de julio del dos mil nueve, en el cual se describen las características de la tapia y se indica además que, debido a la topografía plana de los terrenos de la zona y a la deficiencia o inexistencia de un sistema de disposición de aguas pluviales, ante un evento lluvioso de mediana o alta intensidad, la tapia actúa como una represa que redunda en un estancamiento de las aguas. Manifiesta que en el informe, se recomienda la construcción de un sistema adecuado de disposición de aguas pluviales en las vías públicas, así como encauzar las aguas que llegan a la tapia hacia el sistema propuesto. Argumenta que sustentado en los criterios emitidos por el órgano técnico, el veintidós de julio del dos mil nueve, emite y proceden a notificar las órdenes sanitarias números 166-2009 y 167-2009, al Presidente del Concejo Municipal de Liberia y al Alcalde de Liberia, respectivamente, ordenándoles la presentación de un plan que contemple la construcción del sistema recomendado en el informe RCH-IR-119-09, así como el encausamiento de las aguas que llegan a la tapia, considerando que dicha tapia cuenta con el respectivo permiso, emitido por la Municipalidad de Liberia. Agrega que, en respuesta a las citadas órdenes sanitarias, el veintisiete de julio del dos mil nueve, se recibió el oficio OF-DCU-467-07-2009 del ingeniero municipal Renán Zamora Álvarez, en el cual se indica que, de acuerdo a los análisis hidrológicos preliminares, se determinó que la construcción de la tapia, ocasiona un impedimento para que las aguas fluyan, en el sentido de la pendiente natural del terreno, y que ante esa situación, se enviará el caso a servicios jurídicos para su valoración. Añade que, el treinta de julio del dos mil nueve, se recibió en el Área Rectora de Liberia, un recurso de revocatoria con apelación en subsidio, presentado por el Alcalde de Liberia, contra la orden sanitaria número 167-2009, solicitando que se revoque esa orden, alegando para ello que la tapia en cuestión, pertenece a una propiedad privada, siendo el propietario el responsable de las cargas e imposiciones que la ley le exija. Manifiesta que el seis de agosto del dos mil nueve, mediante resolución AJ-172-2009, la Dirección Regional de Rectoría de la Salud Chorotega, rechazó por improcedentes en todos sus extremos, el recurso de revocatoria, interpuesto por el Alcalde de Liberia. Indica que en el expediente que se lleva en el Área Rectora de Salud de Liberia, consta el informe técnico DPM-INF-1032-2009 del veinte de agosto del dos mil nueve, suscrito por la geóloga Daniela Herra Herrera de la Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias, en el cual, la profesional se refiere a la tapia en cuestión, indicando que ésta actúa como una barrera para la movilización de las aguas, de manera que el problema de inundación en el lugar, se acrecienta y recomienda realizar más salidas de evacuación de aguas en la tapia. Argumenta que el dieciocho de septiembre del dos mil nueve, el Área Rectora de Salud de Liberia, interpuso la renuencia número 023-2009 ante la Agencia Fiscal de Liberia, contra el Alcalde de Liberia, por el delito de desobediencia a la autoridad pública, al no haber cumplido con lo dispuesto por las autoridades sanitarias, en la orden sanitaria número 167-2009. Agrega que el tres de diciembre del dos mil nueve, mediante resolución DM-JB-4989-09, la Ministra de Salud, declaró sin lugar el recurso de apelación presentado y ordenó al Área Rectora, hacer el seguimiento del caso y no permitir que el problema de estancamiento de aguas del proyecto habitacional citado, continúe poniendo en riesgo la salud y la seguridad de las personas. Manifiesta que el veintinueve de enero del dos mil diez, se recibió en el Área Rectora de Liberia, el oficio OF-DCU-#076-01-2010, suscrito por el ingeniero Renán Zamora Álvarez de la Municipalidad de Liberia, en el que se hace referencia a lo ordenado en la orden sanitaria 167-2009 y se indica que la tapia presenta una variación en las condiciones naturales de estancamiento de las aguas, facilitando el aumento del nivel. Añade que, como solución a las problemática de inundación en la zona, el ingeniero explica una propuesta consistente en la construcción de tres canales de alto caudal, para la evacuación de las aguas pluviales en esa zona, e incluye un cronograma de actividades. Agrega que el treinta de abril del dos mil diez, se recibió en el Área Rectora de Liberia, una llamada telefónica de la recurrente Alejandra Lobo, para que se realizara una inspección de urgencia al lugar, ya que las aguas de lluvia habían producido una inundación en su vivienda y otras vecinas. Indica que en el informe de inspección CH-ARS-LI-ERS-367-2010, el Lic. Iván Chavarría Villarreal del Equipo de Regulación del Área Rectora de Liberia, indica que la lluvia había inundado las viviendas hasta una altura de cuarenta y cinco centímetros, y que un sector de la tapia de la urbanización citada, fue arrancada por la fuerza del agua, en un sector de unos cuarenta metros, manifestando los vecinos que, de no haber cedido la tapia, el daño material y humano hubiese sido más grave, pues hay personas en silla de ruedas. Señala que con motivo de esta situación, la Dirección del Área Rectora de Liberia, mediante oficio CH-ARS-LI-DA-256-2010 del trece de mayo del dos mil diez, dirigido al Presidente Municipal de Liberia, se hizo una prevención a la municipalidad, indicándole sobre las responsabilidades civiles y penales por los daños a la salud de las personas que pudieren producirse, ello por el no accionar de esa institución. Agrega que el ocho de julio del dos mil diez, el Ing. Renán Zamora Álvarez, mediante oficio OF-DCU#371-07-2010, dio respuesta al oficio CH-ARS-LI-DA-256-2010 del trece de mayo del dos mil diez, haciendo referencia nuevamente a la propuesta de tres canales, para la evacuación de aguas pluviales. Indica además, que se llegó a un acuerdo con los propietarios del residencial, sobre la construcción de un sistema de subdrenajes que permitieran una mayor capacidad de infiltración de los predios colindantes con la tapia y de esa forma, ayudar a bajar el nivel de las aguas de esos predios. Señala que el once de agosto del dos mil diez, se recibió una nueva llamada telefónica en la Dirección del Área Rectora de Liberia, por parte de un vecino de la comunidad de El Mocho de Santa Lucía, denunciando nuevamente el grave problema de inundación que se estaba viviendo en ese momento, a raíz de los torrenciales aguaceros caídos en esos días. Indica que, como acción inmediata, se procedió a realizar las correspondientes inspecciones oculares por parte de dos profesionales del Equipo de Regulación de esa Área Rectora, sobre las cuales se preparó el informe CH-ARS-LI-ERS-750-2010, en el que se señala que se encontraron las viviendas anegadas debido al fuerte aguacero del diez de agosto del dos mil diez, llegando a alcanzar el agua una altura mayor a un metro, afectando todos los bienes de las familias y produciendo contaminación y proliferación de zancudos, con el peligro potencial para la salud pública. Se indicó además que nuevamente la tapia en cuestión, fue arrancada por la fuerza del agua. Señala que el doce de agosto del dos mil diez, mediante resolución CH-ARS-LI-DA-406-2010, la Dirección del Área Rectora de Liberia, resolvió notificar orden sanitaria a los propietarios del residencial Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca, ordenándoles que se paralice la reconstrucción de la tapia en el sector donde fue arrancada por la fuerza del agua, lo cual debe mantenerse hasta que se logre garantizar que esta estructura, no va a representar un agravamiento en las inundaciones de la zona en cuestión. Aduce que el trece de agosto del dos mil diez, se notificó la orden sanitaria 278-2010 a los propietarios del citado residencial, ordenándoles la paralización de la reconstrucción de la tapia. Considera que ese Ministerio, a través de las autoridades del Área Rectora de Salud de Liberia, ha hecho una serie de gestiones que se orientan precisamente, a resolver el problema que aquejan los recurrentes, quedando evidenciado que, desde el momento en que se tuvo conocimiento de los problemas de estancamiento de aguas pluviales, así como las implicaciones que ello representa para la salud y la seguridad de la población, estas autoridades se han avocado, en forma diligente, a resolver esa situación. Estima que el Ministerio no ha sido omiso en la atención de la pretensión planteada en este amparo, por el contrario, la actuación de la Administración ha estado orientada a darle seguimiento al acto administrativo dictado, por lo que no se ha ocasionado lesión alguna a los derechos invocados, solicitando por ello que se declare sin lugar el recurso.

3.- Informan bajo juramento Carlos Luis Marín Muñoz en su condición de Alcalde y Eugenio Román Ocampo en su calidad de Presidente del Concejo Municipal, ambos de la Municipalidad de Liberia (folio 128), que el barrio La Arena de Liberia, está ubicado en el sector sur del cantón donde, por la topografía de ese sector, discurren naturalmente las aguas de barrios ubicados en sectores más altos del cantón central. Indican que, en palabras técnicas, el Departamento de Desarrollo y Control Urbano en su informe OF.DCU-447-08-2010, ha indicado que las inundaciones en este sector, ubicado al sur de la ciudad de Liberia, son una problemática que ha tenido desde su génesis como núcleo de constituido por pequeños barrios (Santa Lucía, La Arena, Daniel Oduber Quirós, El Mocho, El Peloncito, entre otros) y forma parte de la microcuenca hidrográfica del río La Arena, ubicándose en la parte baja de aquélla. Agregan que según el Departamento de Desarrollo y Control Urbano, las características hidrológicas e hidráulicas del sector, están regidas por dos aspectos principales, a saber: 1) al estar ubicado en la parte baja, ocasiona que sea el receptor final de las aguas de escorrentía pluvial de los sectores ubicados en las zonas más altas de la microcuenca. Indica que, además de la problemática propia del cauce receptor de las aguas (quebrada La Arena), el cual ya viene acumulando la carga hidráulica de los aportes producidos por las zonas más altas, ocasiona crecidas considerables (posibles desbordamientos) en los puntos de desfogues, para períodos de retorno superiores a los cinco años, según estudio hidrológico realizado. 2) por el tipo de zona de vida (holdridge) caracterizado como bosque húmedo premontano con transición basal, con una precipitación anual teórica de entre mil quinientos a mil novecientos cincuenta milímetros, presenta llanuras de mesetas ignimbriticas, siendo que la ignimbrita es una roca ácida, clara, porosa, de baja densidad y que da poca permeabilidad, además la zona con cobertura urbana de la microcuenca en estudio, tiene suelos con mayor grado de meteorización, tiene una topografía plana con una pendiente promedio del 0,3%. Indican que estos dos factores suponen una alta dificultad en las obras de drenaje pluvial que se deseen plantear, ya que se debe considerar factores poco comunes en las obras de drenaje pluvial convencionales. Manifiestan que, es por este motivo, que desde mayo del dos mil nueve, se elaboró un estudio hidrológico y plan de medidas remediales, para el adecuado drenaje de las microcuencas hidrográficas de la quebrada Arena. Indican que esta microcuenca consta de aproximadamente ciento cincuenta y cuatro hectáreas, y en ellas se localizan una serie de barrios sub urbanizados, lo que acentúa la problemática de inadecuado manejo de las aguas pluviales. Señalan que se realizó una contratación de estudios más profundos de ingeniería, denominada “Estudios Hidrológicos y Propuestas para el Control de las Inundaciones en la Ciudad de Liberia”, con el objetivo de obtener un panorama real de la problemática y de los trabajos que se requieren. Agregan que, de los estudios realizados, se plantea la construcción de cuatro canales de evacuación de aguas pluviales, que una vez construidos, den solución a los problemas de inundaciones, específicamente en el área donde señalan los recurrentes. Indican que, además, se da una propuesta para el mejoramiento de los cauces del río y quebrada, receptores de las aguas. Indican que el Departamento señalado, enumeró en su oficio, las obras realizadas hasta el momento por la Municipalidad de Liberia, con el objetivo de ir paulatina y sistemáticamente, en función de la capacidad presupuestaria de la Corporación Municipal, dando una solución a un problema que tiene de existir, desde el momento mismo que nacieron estos asentamientos y que, por más de setenta años, no habían recibido antes ningún tipo de intervención competente para esta problemática intrínseca del sector. Manifiesta que, con base en ese informe, se han construido tres canales de desfogue pluvial para drenar las aguas de la microcuenca en estudio, con el siguiente detalle: a) el canal para el punto de desfogue 3 (según estudio hidrológico) ya fue construido, se tramitó bajo expediente administrativo (LA-00001-02), la obra construida tiene una longitud total de setecientos cinco metros lineales, una sección transversal trapezoidal de un metro y medio de base, tres metros de boca y setenta centímetros de altura, siendo revestido en concreto con resistencia de doscientos diez kilogramos por centímetro cuadrado y diez centímetros de espesor, tuvo un costo total de noventa y cinco millones de colones. Indica que en el mismo orden se va a ampliar el paso sobre la ruta interamericana (ruta 1), para ampliar la capacidad de este canal, siendo que esta obra se iniciará en pocas semanas y ya se cuenta con los permisos del Consejo Nacional de Vialidad por parte del Ing. Carlos Acosta; b) el canal para el punto de desfogue 2 (según estudio hidrológico), ya fue excavado en su totalidad, se construyeron nueve pasos de alcantarillas provisionales y hasta el momento se han invertido aproximadamente veinte millones de colones; c) para el canal del punto desfogue 1, se espera la aprobación por parte de la Dirección Nacional de Desarrollo de las Comunidades de los fondos al proyecto, para dar inicio a las obras, se han realizado los levantamientos topográficos para la realización de estos rebajos; d) para el canal de desfogue cuatro (según estudio hidrológico) se realizó la excavación, con una longitud de doscientos veinte metros y se está procediendo a la colocación de un alcantarillado de noventa metros de longitud, con alcantarilla de un metro y cinco centímetros de diámetro; canal que se encuentra en construcción actualmente y se localiza frente a la calle de los señores supuestamente afectados, siendo que esto ha implicado una inversión de aproximadamente cinco millones de colones, el punto de desfogue cuatro es donde se drenan las aguas de la microcuenca, donde se origina el problema que da origen a este amparo. Indican que se realizó también un mejoramiento del cauce de la quebrada La Arena, cuerpo de agua receptor de las aguas, con el objetivo de propiciar un adecuado drenaje de los canales. Señalan que, además, se tienen conversaciones adelantadas (en terrenos de un tercero), para la excavación de otro canal que permita cortar aguas, en un punto más alto de la microcuenca, lo que disminuiría aún más el caudal a los puntos más bajos de la cuenca, que es precisamente donde se ubican los asentamientos humanos. Aducen que, aunado a estas obras, se han realizado otras en la parte más baja de la microcuenca en el sector de barrio La Cruz, donde se ha excavado un canal de trescientos treinta metros de longitud, para la evacuación de las aguas. Agregan que se han colocado aproximadamente ochenta metros lineales de alcantarillado pluvial, también se construyó una alcantarilla de paso, sección transversal rectangular de dos metros de ancho y un metro y medio de alto y se han invertido hasta el momento, aproximadamente quince millones de colones. Indican que, en un campo más general pero que incluye al área en conflicto, se contrató un estudio hidrológico, con propuestas para la mitigación de las inundaciones en la ciudad de Liberia (LA-00001-02), el cual contempla todas las microcuencas hidrográficas de la ciudad de Liberia, para levantamiento topográfico de los cauces de los siguientes cuerpos de agua: río Santa Inés, río Claro, quebrada Piches, quebrada Panteón, río Liberia, quebrada Carreta y quebrada La Arena. Indican que producto de este estudio, se determinó el riesgo de desbordamientos que presenta la quebrada La Arena, para períodos de retorno superiores a los cinco años. Aducen que estos estudios y obras realizadas hasta el momento, representan el mayor esfuerzo realizado en la historia de la Corporación Municipal, por dar una solución, basada en los más sólidos conceptos científicos aplicados a la ingeniería, al problema de inundaciones que sucede en este sector de la ciudad de Liberia. Mencionan que, actualmente, se encuentra en ejecución la colocación de noventa y siete metros de tubería pluvial de treinta y cuatro pulgadas, que se están colocando desde la quebrada La Arena, a través de la vía, en dirección de las viviendas que se ubican en el sector de comentario, con la intención de solventar el problema de acuerdo con lo que se tiene presupuestado. Indican que, no se puede obviar que este año, se han dado precipitaciones mayores al promedio histórico (fenómeno mundial) del cantón, lo que origina un incremento en los problemas de inundación, esto es manifiesto según el boletín del mes de junio del Instituto Metereológico Nacional. Aclaran que la vía o calle donde se ubican las propiedades de los recurrentes, son vías rurales, es decir, no pertenecen al centro urbano de la ciudad, se trata de una calle de tierra, los permisos de construcción solicitados sobre la vía han sido para construcciones unifamiliares, no pertenecen a proyectos de desarrollo urbanísticos, ubicados frente a calle que no posee los respectivos cordón y caño, así como tampoco infraestructura pluvial, teniendo estas personas pleno conocimiento de la situación cuando adquieren el terreno y construyen, siendo tales personas responsables y conocedoras de que están construyendo en zona rural sin infraestructura pluvial, cordón y caño, como es requisito para cualquier desarrollo urbanizador o habitacional; no obstante, se han realizado grandes esfuerzos para tratar de resolver el problema de la aguas en ese sector. Consideran que no es cierto que no exista una adecuada canalización de aguas pluviales, siendo que la situación que se da en ese sector, se debe a su topografía y tipo de suelos (alta impermeabilidad) y por mala planificación de desarrollo y crecimiento urbano, lo cual no es responsabilidad directa del Municipio; no obstante, son muchos los trabajos e inversión que se ha realizado y que están en proceso y se estará realizando en ese sector, con el fiel objetivo de brindar una solución seria y definitiva, a la problemática que por años se ha dado en ese sector. Agregan que, en cuanto a la tapia perimetral del Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca, se le ha manifestado al Ministerio de Salud y a la Defensoría de los Habitantes, que esa tapia se tramitó conforme a los requisitos de ley, es decir, las personas solicitantes de los permisos municipales presentaron en su totalidad los requisitos exigidos por el municipio, inclusive las viabilidades ambientales correspondientes emitidas por la Secretaría Técnica Nacional Ambiental, siendo que al encontrarse todo conforme, se otorgó el permiso correspondiente, por lo que la tapia se construyó a derecho. Aclaran que la Municipalidad es respetuosa de los permisos otorgados por otras instituciones. Indican que según informe del Departamento de Desarrollo y Control Urbano, ya se ha tratado este tema con el encargado de manejar este proyecto residencial, y se ha llegado a adoptar medidas como aberturas de boquetes en la tapia, construcción de sub drenajes que disminuyen el nivel freático de los terrenos aledaños a las tapias, y así disminuir el estancamiento natural por la topografía del terreno, de las aguas. Agregan que se tiene la resolución número 02252-2009-SETENA mediante la cual, se desestimó que la tapia sea la causante principal del problema. Indican que según informe del citado departamento, las medidas tomadas en la tapia, se han adoptado por la vía de la conciliación, ya que la problemática de las inundaciones en el sector, obedecen a factores no exclusivos a la tapia, así como eventos climatológicos extraordinarios, que se han dado en los últimos años, que ocasionan causales de escorrentía pluvial mayores a los normales. Señalan que, para nadie es un secreto, que en los últimos tres años, se han presentado en Liberia, lluvias mayores al promedio normal, dado al fenómeno climatológico mundial, lo que hace que se acentúen los problemas de manejo de las aguas pluviales, y que la población en general presuponga, sin los fundamentos técnicos de peso, diversas causas del origen de estos problemas. Estiman que no es cierto que la Municipalidad de Liberia no haya hecho nada en relación con la tapia indicada por los recurrentes, pues como se indicó, si bien no es el origen del problema, sí se han tomado acciones por parte del Municipio, tendientes a mitigar la problemática de los vecinos de ese sector, siendo parte de éstos, la coordinación con los propietarios del residencial bordeado con la tapia, a efectos de que dispusieran, como en efecto se hizo, de los trabajos necesarios tendientes a evitar que se ocasionen, mayores problemas a los vecinos del lugar en la época de invierno. Estiman que se han realizado todos los esfuerzos materiales para darle una solución a un problema histórico de ese sector, que había sido omitido a través de los años por las diferentes Administraciones, así como también, por el hecho de que hasta hace unos pocos años, ese sector ha ido en crecimiento urbano y sin control, y es hasta ahora que se ha intentado dar una solución pronta y eficaz, a los problemas planteados por los vecinos en ese sector. Indican que la causa penal iniciada por las órdenes sanitarias, ha sido desestimada, y nunca fue notificada personalmente, siendo éste un factor preponderante para establecer la responsabilidad del funcionario al que le corresponde hacer cumplir la orden, ante una eventual omisión, lo mismo para establecer la desobediencia; presupuestos que no se dieron en el caso concreto, siendo así declarado por el Tribunal correspondiente. Señalan que lo relativo al derrumbe del muro y las inundaciones, son eventos que escapan de las posibilidades del municipio, pues se deben a desastres de la naturaleza. Agregan que en inspección realizada con funcionarios del Ministerio de Salud, se comprobó que el muro no provocó daños a terceros sino al mismo residencial, por lo que no es de recibo el alegato que formulan los recurrentes en cuanto a este punto. Reiteran que ya se han adoptado medidas para tratar de solventar los problemas que aquejan a los vecinos del sector, lo que ha significado una inversión millonaria, pero aún queda mucho trabajo por hacer, con un costo elevado, que está en trámite y que se estará ejecutando según los procedimientos administrativos y los recursos administrativos, así lo permitan. Manifiestan que lo relativo al problema del dengue, es un tema del Ministerio de Salud, pero la Municipalidad siempre ha apoyado las campañas de fumigación, para efectos de eliminación de criaderos del mosquito, siendo que actualmente está en trámite un convenio de cooperación interinstitucional con ese Ministerio, para donar diesel y gasolina para realizar una campaña de fumigación contra el mosquito del dengue, en el cantón. Estiman que no se han violentado derechos fundamentales de los recurrentes, y por ello piden que se declare sin lugar el recurso.

4.- Informa bajo juramento Vanessa Rosales Ardón, en su condición de Presidenta Ejecutiva de la Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias (folio 163) que en el Informe Técnico DPM-INF-1032-2009 realizado por la geóloga Daniela Herra Herrera, del Departamento de Prevención y Mitigación, se da cuenta de las medidas de prevención y mitigación que se recomiendan y que deben de asumir, tanto los propietarios de los inmuebles, como el gobierno local de la zona. Indica que el principio de coordinación debe respetar la autonomía e independencia de cada una de las instituciones, es decir, su ámbito de competencia, por lo que no es responsabilidad de la Comisión que representa, el administrar los intereses y servicios cantonales. Considera que el gobierno local es el actor principal a ejecutar las acciones de recomendación dadas por la Comisión que representa, siendo el principal obligado a acatar las observaciones y tomar las medidas correctivas del caso. Señala que su representada, ha colaborado en la realización de una inspección con criterio técnico, para que se tomen las medidas correspondientes por parte de las entidades de gobierno, competentes en la materia. Estima que su representada no ha incurrido en ninguna vulneración de derechos fundamentales de los recurrentes y por ello pide que se declare sin lugar el recurso.

5.- En escrito de folio 175, presentado sin rubricar, se reiteran los alegatos planteados en el memorial de interposición del amparo.

6.- En los procedimientos seguidos se ha observado las prescripciones legales.

Redacta la Magistrada Salazar Cambronero; y,

Considerando:

I.- Hechos probados. De importancia para la decisión de este asunto, se estiman como debidamente demostrados los siguientes hechos: a) que el veintinueve de junio del dos mil nueve, la recurrente Lobo Barrantes, presentó ante el Área Rectora de Salud de Liberia, una denuncia contra la construcción de una tapia perimetral propiedad del Proyecto Urbanístico Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca, aduciendo que estaba causando la inundación de varias propiedades y estancamiento de aguas (ver manifestaciones rendidas bajo juramento de folio 16 y documento de folio 127); b) que el ingeniero regional del Ministerio de Salud, realizó inspección en el oficio e informó en oficio RCH-IR-119-09 del diez de julio del dos mil nueve, que debido a la topografía plana de los terrenos de la zona y la deficiencia o inexistencia de sistema de disposición de aguas pluviales, ante un evento lluvioso de mediana o alta intensidad, la tapia actúa como una represa que redunda en un estancamiento de las aguas, recomendándose la construcción de un sistema adecuado de disposición de las aguas pluviales en las vías públicas y encauzar las aguas que llegan a la tapia (ver manifestaciones rendidas bajo juramento de folio 16 y documento de folio 124); c) que el veintidós de julio del dos mil nueve, se emiten las órdenes sanitarias números 166-2009 y 167-2009 para el Presidente del Concejo Municipal y el Alcalde Municipal, ambos de la Municipalidad de Liberia, en las que se ordena la presentación de un plan que contemple la construcción del sistema recomendado así como el encausamiento de las aguas que llegan a la tapia, la cual contaba con permiso emitido por la Municipalidad de Liberia (ver manifestaciones rendidas bajo juramento de folio 16 y documentos de folios 120 a 123); d) que en respuesta a las órdenes sanitarias, el veintisiete de julio del dos mil nueve, se recibió en el Ministerio de Salud el oficio OF-DCU-467-07-2009 del ingeniero municipal en el que se indicaba que de acuerdo a los análisis hidrológicos preliminares, se determinó que la construcción de la tapia, ocasiona un impedimento para que las aguas fluyan, en el sentido de la pendiente natural, por lo que enviarían el caso a servicios jurídicos para su valoración (ver manifestaciones rendidas bajo juramento de folio 16); e) que en informe técnico DPM-INF-1032-2009 del veinte de agosto del dos mil nueve, la geóloga Daniela Herra Herrera de la Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias, señaló que la citada tapia actúa como una barrera para la movilización de las aguas por lo que el problema de inundaciones en el sitio se acrecienta, recomendándose realizar más salidas de evaluación de aguas en la tapia (ver manifestaciones rendidas bajo juramento de folio 17 y documento de folio 96); f) que el dieciocho de septiembre del dos mil nueve, el Área Rectora de Salud de Liberia, interpone denuncia número 023-2009 ante la Agencia Fiscal de Liberia contra el Alcalde de Liberia, por el delito de desobediencia a la autoridad pública al no haber cumplido con lo dispuesto con lo dispuesto por las autoridades sanitarias en la orden sanitaria número 167-2009 (ver manifestaciones rendidas bajo juramento de folio 17 y documento de folio 92); g) que el treinta de julio del dos mil nueve, el Alcalde de Liberia presentó recurso de revocatoria con apelación en subsidio contra la orden sanitaria número 167-2009, el seis de agosto siguiente la Dirección Regional de Rectoría de la Salud Chorotega, rechazó por improcedente esa revocatoria y el tres de diciembre siguiente, en resolución DM-JB-4989-09, la Ministra de Salud declaró sin lugar la apelación, ordenando el cumplimiento de la orden sanitaria mencionada, disponiendo que el Área Rectora debía darle seguimiento al caso y no permitir que el problema de estancamiento de aguas continúe poniendo en riesgo la salud y seguridad de las personas (ver manifestaciones rendidas bajo juramento de folio 17 y documentos de folios 84, 103 a 109 y 113); h) que en informe de inspección CH-ARS-LI-ERS-367-2010 del Equipo de Regulación del Área Rectora de Salud de Liberia, se indicó que el treinta de abril del dos mil diez, la lluvia había inundado las viviendas hasta una altura de cuarenta y cinco centímetros y que un sector de la tapia de la urbanización fue arrancada con fuerza en unos cuarenta metros (ver manifestaciones rendidas bajo juramento de folio 17 y documento de folio 71); i) que mediante oficio OF-DCU#371-07-2010, el ingeniero municipal comunicó al Área de Salud de Liberia, la propuesta de construir tres canales para la evacuación de aguas pluviales, así como el acuerdo con los propietarios del residencial para la construcción de un sistema de subdrenajes que permitieran mayor capacidad de infiltración de los predios colindantes con la tapia para así bajar el nivel de las aguas de los predios (ver manifestaciones rendidas bajo juramento de folio 18 y documento de folio 44); j) que ante llamada recibida el once de agosto del dos mil diez, por un vecino de la comunidad de El Mocho de Santa Lucía, se hizo inspección en el sitio y se encontraron viviendas anegadas debido al fuerte aguacero de ese día, llegando a alcanzar el agua una altura mayor a un metro, afectando todos los bienes de las familias, produciendo contaminación y proliferación de zancudos, con el peligro potencial a la salud pública, además de que nuevamente la tapia fue arrancada por la fuerza del agua (ver manifestaciones rendidas bajo juramento de folio 18 y documento de folio 32); k) que el doce de agosto del dos mil diez, mediante resolución CH-ARS-LI-DA-406-2010, la Dirección del Área Rectora de Liberia, resolvió notificar orden sanitaria a los propietarios del residencial Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca, ordenándoles que se paralice la reconstrucción de la tapia en el sector en que fue arrancada por la fuerza del agua, lo que debe mantenerse hasta que se logre garantizar que la estructura no va a representar un agravamiento en las inundaciones de la zona en cuestión (ver manifestaciones rendidas bajo juramento de folio 18 y documento de folio 27); l) que el trece de agosto del dos mil diez, se notificó la orden sanitaria número 278-2010 a los propietarios del Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca, ordenándoles la paralización de la reconstrucción de la tapia (ver manifestaciones rendidas bajo juramento de folio 18 y documento de folio 25); ll) que el sector al que se refieren los recurrentes, desde sus inicios, se ha caracterizado por problemas de inundaciones y está ubicado en la microcuenca del río La Arena, siendo que por estar ubicado en la parte baja, ello ocasiona que la zona sea la receptora final de las aguas de escorrentía pluvial de los sectores ubicados en las zonas más altas (ver manifestaciones rendidas bajo juramento de folio 129); m) que en el dos mil nueve se realizó un estudio hidrológico en la zona a partir del cual se plantea la construcción de cuatro canales de evacuación de aguas pluviales, que una vez construidos, den solución a los problemas de inundaciones, específicamente en el área a la que se refieren los recurrentes (ver manifestaciones rendidas bajo juramento de folio 130); n) que a la fecha se han construido tres canales de desfogue pluvial para drenar las aguas de la microcuenca señalada y se espera la construcción de un cuarto canal, una vez que sea aprobado el presupuesto por la Dirección Nacional de Desarrollo de la Comunidad (ver manifestaciones rendidas bajo juramento de folio 130); ñ) que se ha realizado mejoramiento del cauce de la quebrada La Arena con el objetivo de propiciar un adecuado drenaje de los canales y se tienen conversaciones adelantadas para la excavación de otro canal que permita cortar aguas en un punto más alto de la microcuenca a fin de disminuir, aún más, el caudal a los puntos más bajos de la cuenca, que es donde están los asentamientos humanos (ver manifestaciones rendidas bajo juramento de folio 131); o) que las construcciones realizadas en la zona a la que se refieren los recurrentes, se han realizado sin infraestructura pluvial, cordón y caño, con mala planificación de desarrollo y crecimiento urbano (ver manifestaciones rendidas bajo juramento de folio 133); p) que las autoridades de la Municipalidad de Liberia, han tratado el tema de la tapia con el encargado de manejar el proyecto residencial y se ha llegado a adoptar medidas como aberturas de boquetes en la tapia, construcción de subdrenajes que disminuyen el nivel freático de los terrenos aledaños a las tapias y con ello disminuir el estancamiento natural de las aguas por la topografía del terreno (ver manifestaciones rendidas bajo juramento de folio 133); q) que el Colegio de Ingenieros y Arquitectos de Costa Rica hizo una inspección en la zona a la que se refieren los recurrentes para verificar el sistema de evacuación de aguas pluviales del sector de Santa Lucía-La Arena y concluyó que: a) el sector presenta problemas de evacuación de aguas pluviales; b) que la Municipalidad de Liberia otorgó permiso de construcción al Proyecto Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca, en una zona que es rural y su uso se restringe a la actividad agropecuaria; c) la zona recibe las aguas pluviales provenientes de otros sectores de la ciudad de Liberia, por lo que los volúmenes de agua que recibe el sector, es de proporciones considerables y no existe un sistema de evacuación adecuado que impida que se generen inundaciones; d) que la falta de un sistema de evacuación adecuado y la construcción de la tapia perimetral del proyecto Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca, podría intensificar las inundaciones de los terrenos y viviendas aledañas; e) se observaron viviendas construidas en el derecho de vía de los caminos públicos y que se prohíben en el artículo 28 de la Ley General de Caminos Públicos (folio 192).

II.- Sobre la actuación del Ministerio de Salud. En reiteradas ocasiones esta Sala ha señalado que, le corresponde al Ministerio de Salud, velar y fiscalizar por la debida recolección, tratamiento y disposición final de las aguas pluviales, siendo la autoridad responsable de ordenar aquéllas medidas y disposiciones, ordinarias y extraordinarias, que técnicamente procedan en protección, conservación y mejoramiento de la salud de las personas y de su derecho a un ambiente sano y ecológicamente equilibrado, al amparo de lo dispuesto en los artículos 21 y 50 de la Constitución Política en relación con el artículo 2 de la Ley Orgánica del Ministerio de Salud y el artículo 340 de la Ley General de Salud. Tienen entonces, las autoridades del Ministerio de Salud, la obligación de velar por la aplicación y el control del cumplimiento de las disposiciones normativas existentes en la materia y para ello además cuentan con el poder de policía, de que se ha dotado a ese Ministerio, para fiscalizar el debido funcionamiento de los sistemas de alcantarillado, en aras de evitar riesgos o daños a la salud de las personas o a su derecho a disfrutar de un ambiente sano y ecológicamente equilibrado (ver en ese sentido, sentencias números 2008-009350 de las once horas veinticinco minutos del cuatro de junio del dos mil ocho, 2008-010669 de las dieciséis horas cincuenta y cinco minutos del veintiséis de junio del dos mil ocho y 2009-000908 de las trece horas treinta y cuatro minutos del veintitrés de enero del dos mil nueve, entre otras). Ahora bien, en el caso concreto, a partir del informe rendido a la Sala por el Viceministro de Salud y las pruebas que han sido aportadas a los autos, se ha logrado tener por acreditado, el dicho de los recurrentes. Efectivamente, de autos se desprende que, ante denuncias presentadas por vecinos de la zona donde se ubica el Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca en Liberia, en las cuales se ponían en evidencia serios problemas de inundaciones, los funcionarios del Área Rectora de Salud de Liberia, han realizado varias inspecciones en el sitio y han podido comprobar que, en ese sector de la ciudad de Liberia, debido a la topografía plana de los terrenos y a la inexistencia de un sistema de disposición de aguas pluviales, ante eventos lluviosos de mediana o alta intensidad, la tapia de ese condominio actúa como una represa que redunda en un estancamiento de las aguas, recomendándose la construcción de un sistema adecuado de disposición de aguas pluviales en las vías públicas, así como el encausamiento de las aguas que llegan a la tapia, hacia el sistema propuesto. A partir de lo que observaron los funcionarios del Ministerio de Salud, en inspección que realizaron en julio del dos mil nueve, procedieron el veintidós de julio siguiente, a emitir dos órdenes sanitarias dirigidas al Presidente del Concejo Municipal y al Alcalde, ambos de la Municipalidad de Liberia, en las cuales les ordenaban la presentación de un plan que contemple la construcción del sistema recomendado, así como el encausamiento de la aguas que llegan a la tapia, ello por cuanto, esa Municipalidad, otorgó autorización y permiso de construcción para la citada tapia. Del expediente se desprenden sendos informes técnicos, entre ellos el emitido por una geóloga de la Comisión Nacional de Prevención de Riesgos y Atención de Emergencias, que indican que la tapia que rodea al citado condominio, actúa como una barrera para la movilización de las aguas, con lo cual, el problema de inundaciones que ya se presentaba en el lugar, se acrecienta con esa construcción por lo que se recomienda, la construcción de un sistema adecuado de disposición de aguas pluviales en las vías públicas, así como el encausamiento de las aguas que llegan a la tapia, hacia el sistema propuesto, y la realización de más salidas de evacuación de aguas en la tapia. Consta en autos, que debido a los fenómenos climatológicos que se han presentado durante el dos mil diez, el treinta de abril y el diez de agosto, se recibieron nuevas denuncias en el Área Rectora de Liberia, en las cuales los vecinos se quejaban de serias inundaciones, las cuales fueron constatadas por funcionarios del Ministerio de Salud, al realizar inspección en el sitio y verificar inundación de viviendas hasta una altura de cuarenta y cinco centímetros un día y hasta un metro el diez de agosto, así como el haberse arrancado una parte de la tapia en varios sectores por la fuerza del agua. Debido a estos recientes acontecimientos, las autoridades del Ministerio de Salud, han girado orden sanitaria a los propietarios del residencial Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca, en la cual les han ordenado que paralicen la reconstrucción de la tapia, hasta que se logre garantizar que esa estructura no va a representar un agravamiento en las inundaciones en la zona.

III.- A partir de lo dicho supra, considera la Sala que la actuación de los funcionarios del Ministerio de Salud, si bien ha estado dirigida a buscar soluciones a la problemática que se ha presentado en la zona a la que se refieren los recurrentes, también es lo cierto que no ha sido todo lo contundente que se requiere, en aras de que el problema sea solucionado de manera definitiva. Recuérdese que el Ministerio de Salud, cuenta con una serie de mecanismos que le otorga el propio ordenamiento jurídico, los cuales no se observa que hayan sido utilizados en el caso concreto, pues de haberlo hecho, talvez ya se habría logrado encontrar una solución definitiva. Por tales razones, se hace indispensable declarar con lugar el recurso respecto del Ministerio de Salud, en aras de que, de manera coordinada con las instituciones que sean competentes, adopte las medidas que sean necesarias para que, dentro del ámbito de sus competencias, se logre dar una solución definitiva a la problemática denunciada en este amparo.

IV.- Sobre la actuación de la Municipalidad de Liberia. En el caso bajo estudio, es incuestionable la competencia del ente municipal para administrar los intereses y servicios locales del cantón de Liberia, tal y como lo determina la misma Constitución Política en su artículo 169, otorgándole para tal efecto autonomía municipal (artículo 170 ibíd). Si bien es cierto el artículo 169 no define ni da mayores elementos de juicio como para extraer, en forma definitiva, lo que debe entenderse por "intereses y servicios locales", ya la Sala en otras oportunidades ha dicho, que se trata de un concepto jurídico indeterminado como lo son el de "orden público" o el de "buenas costumbres", por citar algunos que también la Constitución utiliza; sin embargo, la Sala además ha admitido que:

"…la potestad atribuida a los gobiernos locales para planificar el desarrollo urbano dentro de los límites de su territorio sí integra el concepto constitucional de "intereses y servicios locales" a que hace referencia el artículo 169 de la Constitución (…)" (ver entre otras, sentencia número 5757-94 de las quince horas tres minutos del cuatro de octubre de mil novecientos noventa y cuatro).

Así las cosas, la normativa constitucional encuentra desarrollo en la legislación vigente y específicamente, el artículo 1 de la Ley de Construcciones claramente determina que son las Municipalidades de la República, las encargadas de que las ciudades y demás poblaciones, reúnan las condiciones necesarias de seguridad, salubridad y belleza en sus vías públicas y en los edificios y construcciones que en terrenos de las mismas se levanten, sin perjuicio de las facultades que las leyes conceden en estas materias a otros órganos administrativos. Asimismo, el artículo 15 de la Ley de Planificación Urbana reconoce la competencia y autoridad de los gobiernos municipales para planificar y controlar el desarrollo urbano, dentro de los límites de su territorio jurisdiccional, y el artículo 13 inciso g) del Código Municipal señala que son atribuciones del Concejo, dictar las medidas de ordenamiento urbano. De igual manera, no puede dejarse de lado que el Estado, en este caso específicamente a través de las municipalidades, tiene la obligación de regular las áreas de la vida social de las cuales puedan surgir peligros para la existencia física de los habitantes de su territorio, ya sea a través de la ley, de reglamentos, de acuerdos o de otras medidas relacionadas con la organización y los procedimientos administrativos, y del derecho subjetivo de las personas a que así se proceda, en forma diligente. En consecuencia, la posibilidad de exigir, judicialmente, a través del recurso de amparo, un tipo específico de actividad prestacional por parte del Estado, en cumplimiento de su deber de protección a la vida e integridad física de sus habitantes, es restringida a la clara verificación de un peligro inminente contra esos derechos de las personas, de lo que se desprende que la injerencia de la jurisdicción constitucional solamente es viable ante la inercia comprobada del Estado, a través de sus órganos competentes, en atender las demandas que en ejercicio de sus derechos realicen los habitantes del país (ver en ese sentido sentencia número 2005-01713 de las catorce horas cincuenta y tres minutos del veintitrés de febrero del dos mil cinco).

V.- Lo anterior, es evidente que ocurre en el caso concreto, con los planteamientos que formulan los recurrentes ante esta Sala y que se han tenido por acreditados. Efectivamente, como se desprende de la relación de hechos probados, este Tribunal ha tenido por demostrado que, en la zona a la que se refieren los recurrentes, se han venido presentando serios problemas de inundaciones que, se han agravado, con la construcción que se hizo de una tapia perimetral en el Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca, la cual ha servido como represa que permite el estancamiento de aguas, llegándose al extremo de que, en recientes acontecimientos, dada la intensidad de las lluvias caídas en abril y agosto anteriores, provocaron que parte de esa tapia colapsara. De igual manera, a partir de los documentos que constan en el expediente, observa este Tribunal que las construcciones realizadas en la zona a la que se refieren los recurrentes, se han realizado sin infraestructura pluvial, cordón y caño, con mala planificación de desarrollo y crecimiento urbano, siendo ello, sin duda alguna, una de las razones por las cuales ahora, se están presentando los serios problemas de inundaciones que se denuncian. Por su parte, el propio Colegio de Ingenieros y Arquitectos de Costa Rica, en inspección realizada en julio del dos mil nueve, concluyó en el informe técnico rendido al efecto, que el sector presenta problemas de evacuación de aguas pluviales; que la Municipalidad de Liberia otorgó permiso de construcción al Proyecto Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca, en una zona que es rural y su uso se restringe a la actividad agropecuaria; que la zona recibe las aguas pluviales provenientes de otros sectores de la ciudad de Liberia, por lo que los volúmenes de agua que recibe el sector, es de proporciones considerables y no existe un sistema de evacuación adecuado que impida que se generen inundaciones; que la falta de un sistema de evacuación adecuado y la construcción de la tapia perimetral del proyecto Condominio Horizontal Ciudad Blanca, podría intensificar las inundaciones de los terrenos y viviendas aledañas; y que se observaron viviendas construidas en el derecho de vía de los caminos públicos y que se prohíben en el artículo 28 de la Ley General de Caminos Públicos. Ante este panorama, es evidente que la Municipalidad de Liberia, tiene una gran responsabilidad en los hechos denunciados, considerándose inclusive por parte de este Tribunal, que su desempeño ha sido negligente pues a pesar de que ha tenido conocimiento de la situación y de los criterios técnicos emitidos al respecto, ha permitido no solo la edificación de varias construcciones en esa zona sino también que lo ha hecho, sin prever las consecuencias que de ello se podían derivar y sin obligar a los interesados, de manera contundente y responsable, a adoptar medidas preventivas para evitar lo que ahora está ocurriendo, que cuando caen fuertes lluvias, se inunden esas zonas que, ya de por sí, por su naturaleza, son propensas a las inundaciones. Si bien es cierto, bajo juramento se ha indicado que recientemente, se han adoptado medidas para mitigar el problema, lo cual se ha intentado hacer a través de la construcción de canales de desfogue pluvial, para drenar las aguas de la microcuenca, también es lo cierto, que esas medidas no han dado el resultado deseado. Efectivamente, ha pasado lo contrario, pues de haber funcionado tales canales como se esperaba, el pasado diez de agosto, no se hubiera presentado el anegamiento de varias viviendas en la zona, ya que el agua, según lo informaron las autoridades del Ministerio de Salud, no solo tiró al suelo otra parte de la citada tapia, sino que alcanzó una altura mayor a un metro en algunos puntos, ocasionándose con ello, no sólo la afectación de bienes materiales de las familias involucradas sino también, poniéndose en serio peligro sus vidas en ese momento, pero también posterior al evento, pues para nadie es un secreto que este tipo de situaciones naturales, producen contaminación al ambiente y luego proliferación de zancudos que, al final de cuentas, se traduce en un ambiente ideal para el desarrollo del mosquito transmisor del dengue; enfermedad que ha sido un serio problema en la zona de Guanacaste.

VI.- Por tales razones, resulta evidente que, en criterio de este Tribunal, sí se ha dado una negligencia de la Municipalidad de Liberia, por lo cual el amparo debe ser estimado también respecto de este ente, pues con sus actuaciones y omisiones, se han propiciado situaciones que, aunadas a los efectos de la naturaleza, colocan a los recurrentes y demás vecinos de la zona, en la situación en la que se encuentran. Bajo esta perspectiva, para la Sala no es aceptable que si la Municipalidad de Liberia ha tenido conocimiento, de las condiciones particulares que presenta la zona a la que se refieren los recurrentes, haya permitido el desarrollo de poblaciones e infraestructura habitacional y peor aún, que lo hubiera tolerado sin el cumplimiento de requisitos mínimos como son la infraestructura pluvial, cordón y caños, entre otros, lo cual inclusive, aceptan bajo juramento al afirmar que se ha dado una “mala planificación de desarrollo y crecimiento urbano”, sin que para ello sea excusa el que ello no es responsabilidad directa de esa Municipalidad como también se argumenta bajo juramento, pues es evidente que, a la luz de la jurisprudencia sentada por esta Sala y de la normativa vigente, ello sin duda alguna está referido a la administración de los intereses y servicios locales; competencia municipal que es incuestionable, tal y como lo determina la misma Constitución Política en su artículo 169, otorgándole para tal efecto autonomía municipal (artículo 170 ibíd). Recuerden las autoridades municipales que, para la ejecución de sus funciones, el ordenamiento jurídico les otorga instrumentos y mecanismos en aras de brindar la mayor seguridad y tranquilidad a los munícipes, sobre todo si se toma en cuenta que este tipo de problemas, además de que generan trastornos para la seguridad y tranquilidad de las personas, también se pueden convertir en un asunto grave de salud pública respecto del cual es indispensable adoptar acciones concretas para su eliminación. Por tales razones, este recurso es el medio adecuado y necesario para obligar a los recurridos de la Municipalidad de Liberia, a cumplir con celeridad su obligación, motivo por el cual debe ser estimado, siendo lo procedente es ordenar al Presidente del Concejo Municipal y al Alcalde, que de manera coordinada con otras instituciones y dentro del ámbito de sus competencias, procedan de manera inmediata a adoptar las medidas que sean necesarias, para brindarle una solución definitiva al problema denunciado por los recurrentes.-

Por tanto:

Se declara con lugar el recurso. Se ordena a Mauricio Vargas Fuentes en su condición de Viceministro de Salud, a Carlos Luis Marín Muñoz en su calidad de Alcalde Municipal y a Eugenio Román Ocampo como Presidente del Concejo Municipal, ambos de la Municipalidad de Liberia, o a quienes en su lugar ejerzan esos cargos, proceder de manera coordinada e inmediata, a adoptar las medidas que correspondan dentro del ámbito de sus competencias, para dar una solución definitiva al problema denunciado por los recurrentes. Asimismo, se les advierte que de no acatar la orden dicha, incurrirán en el delito de desobediencia y que, de conformidad con el artículo 71 de la Ley de esta jurisdicción, se le impondrá prisión de tres meses a dos años, o de veinte a sesenta días multa, a quien recibiere una orden que deba cumplir o hacer cumplir, dictada en un recurso de amparo y no la cumpliere o no la hiciere cumplir, siempre que el delito no esté más gravemente penado. Se condena al Estado y a la Municipalidad de Liberia, al pago de las costas, daños y perjuicios causados con los hechos que sirven de base a esta declaratoria, los que se liquidarán en ejecución de sentencia de lo contencioso administrativo. Notifíquese esta resolución a Mauricio Vargas Fuentes en su condición de Viceministro de Salud, a Carlos Luis Marín Muñoz en su calidad de Alcalde Municipal y a Eugenio Román Ocampo como Presidente del Concejo Municipal, ambos de la Municipalidad de Liberia, o a quienes en su lugar ejerzan esos cargos, en forma personal.- Gilbert Armijo S.

Presidente a.i.

Ernesto Jinesta L. Fernando Cruz C.

Fernando Castillo V. Roxana Salazar C.

Víctor Ardón A. José Paulino Hernández G.