Costa Rica: Roxana Salazar Cambronero, No. 18442

The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Costa Rica stated that the right to a healthy environment, recognized in the Costa Rican constitution, requires the government both to refrain from violating the right and to prevent others from violating it. The Court held that the government had not fulfilled its responsibility to dredge a polluted river, which had been contaminated with litter and waste because of heavy rains. The Court required the local government to take immediate action based upon the recommendations of the National Commission of Risk Prevention. It also required the government to pay costs and damages associated with the river’s pollution.