Mrs. López Ostra brought an action against Spain due to environmental pollution from a nearby waste treatment plant. López Ostra lived adjacent to the plant, which was operating without a license. The plant malfunctioned on start-up, and released gas fumes and unpleasant smells. These caused health problems and were a nuisance to the local people. …Read more

Residents and mineworkers of Khewra filed a petition under Article 184(3) of the Pakistani Constitution alleging that a lease had been improperly granted to a mining company within a reserved water catchment area, thus endangering the potability of the resident’s water supply which could be contaminated by poisonous water seeping from the mine. A government-constituted …Read more

The petitioner, an influential businessman, filed a public interest litigation claim against two iron and steel companies, which the petitioner claimed had created health risks by dumping surplus waste from factory washeries in the form of sludge and slurry into the nearby Bokaro river. According to the petitioner, the sludge and slurry had been deposited …Read more

Technology Developers, the Petitioner, was a private corporation engaged in the manufacture and export of charcoal briquettes. The mayor of Bulacan, a nearby town, sent a letter to Technology Developers, expressing concern over the pollution emitted by the Petitioner in the form of fumes that “not only pollute the air in the locality but also …Read more

Due to discharge of untreated effluents in the Ganga river, the water of the river was rendered unsafe for drinking, fishing and bathing purposes, essentially creating a public nuisance. In M.C. Mehta v. Union of India & ors., ((1987) 4 S.C.C. 463), the Court had held the city municipality, Kanpur Nagar Mahapalika (Mahapalika), responsible for …Read more

Shriram Foods and Fertiliser Plant, Delhi (Shriram) was situated amidst a population of 200,000 people. It manufactured items such as glycerin soap, and technical hard oil. The petitioner, M.C. Mehta, filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court to obtain an order for closure of the plant and its relocation to an area where it …Read more

This communication was filed by the chairperson of the Port Hope Environmental Group on behalf of the residents of Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. From 1945 to 1952, Eldorado Nuclear Ltd., a federal Crown Corporation, disposed of nuclear waste in dumpsites within Port Hope, a town of 10,000 people. In 1975, large-scale pollution of residences and …Read more

Both the prosperous and poor people of New Road, Ratlam were victims of extremely inadequate basic public sanitation facilities, fluid discharge of a local alcohol plant and overflow of storm water to the street. This resulted in various types of septic fluids flowing openly and constantly in the street, and consequently the street’s sanitation was …Read more

Juanito Solon was convicted and fined (with subsidiary imprisonment in case of insolvency) for having violated Cebu City Ordinance No. 241 (the Ordinance). The Ordinance required drivers of vehicle-drawing animals to properly dispose of the waste discharged by their vehicle-drawing animals while traveling City roads. Solon challenged his conviction on the grounds that the Ordinance …Read more

Petitioner Seng Kee & Co. owned a toyo factory in Manila. The manufacture of toyo involved fermenting beans, adding brown sugar, and then cooking the mixture over a slow fire for several hours. During fermentation, the beans were laid out for several days and the fermented beans and the presence of vast quantities of coarse …Read more