Biwater Gauff (Tanzania) Ltd. v. United Republic of Tanzania
Country: TanzaniaYear: 2008
Court: International Centre for Settlement of Disputes
Citation: ICSID Case No. ARB/05/22
Health Topics: Environmental health, Water, sanitation and hygiene
Tanzania was awarded funding from the World Bank to repair, upgrade, and expand the water and sewage infrastructure of Dar es Salaam. As a condition of the funding, Tanzania was required to appoint a private company to manage and operate the infrastructure improvements. The plaintiff, a British and German company named Biwater Gauff (“BGT”), won …Read more
Mendoza, Beatriz Silvia et al. v. Estado Nacional et al.
Country: ArgentinaYear: 2008
Court: Supreme Court of Justice [Corte Suprema de Justicia de la Nación Argentina]
Citation: [2008] File M. 1569. XL
Health Topics: Chronic and noncommunicable diseases, Environmental health, Health information, Health systems and financing, Water, sanitation and hygiene
Human Rights: Right to a clean environment, Right to water and sanitation
Residents of the Matanza-Riachulo river basin brought a class action against the National State, the Province of Buenos Aires, and the city of Buenos Aires, as well as a number of businesses, for injuries resulting from pollution of the area. A lengthy information collecting process began in 2006. The Supreme Court of Argentina found that …Read more
Rabia Bhuiyan MP v. Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, et al.
Country: BangladeshYear: 2007
Court: Supreme Court - High Court Division
Citation: 59 DLR (AD) (2007)
Health Topics: Chronic and noncommunicable diseases, Environmental health, Health systems and financing, Water, sanitation and hygiene
Human Rights: Right to a clean environment, Right to health, Right to life
The Appellant, a former Member of Parliament, filed a writ petition in the High Court of Bangladesh against the Government and other public authorities for their failure to comply with the Environment Conservation Act 1995 and the Environment Conservation Rules 1997. The petition alleged that there was widespread arsenic contamination in tube wells across the …Read more
Case 0371-04-RA
Country: EcuadorYear: 2006
Court: Constitutional Tribunal [Tribunal Constitucional]
Citation: Tribunal Constitucional, Caso No. 0371-04-RA, publicado en el Suplemento al Registro Oficial No. 274, 19 de mayo de 2006.
Health Topics: Environmental health, Public safety
Human Rights: Right to a clean environment, Right to water and sanitation
This case was originally brought before the First Chamber of the Contentious Administrative Tribunal by a group of organizations of the Amazon Basin in Ecuador who were challenging the fact that Colombia was fumigating with glyphosate (within their plan to eradicate coca) within a 10-km strip from the border of Colombia and Ecuador. The organizations …Read more
Peter Waweru v. Republic of Kenya
Country: KenyaYear: 2006
Court: High Court at Nairobi
Citation: Miscellaneous Civil Application 118 0f 2004; (2007) AHRLR 149 (KeHC 2006)
Health Topics: Environmental health, Water, sanitation and hygiene
Human Rights: Freedom from discrimination, Right to a clean environment, Right to life, Right to water and sanitation
About one hundred residents of the Kiserian township were approved to construct residential-cum-commercial buildings by county officials, including health officials. A public health officer investigated reports of “indiscriminate discharge of offensive smelling waste matters within the trading centre flowing out of various premises into open channels along the road to the environment and to the …Read more
Gbemre v. Shell Petroleum Development Company and Others
Country: NigeriaYear: 2005
Court: High Court, Benin Division
Citation: Suit No. FHC/B/CS/53/05; (2005) AHRLR 151 (NgHC 2005)
Health Topics: Chronic and noncommunicable diseases, Environmental health, Health care and health services, Poverty, Water, sanitation and hygiene
Human Rights: Right to a clean environment, Right to life
Applicants, residents of Iwherekan community in the Delta State of Nigeria, applied for an order enforcing their fundamental right to life and dignity of human person as provided by sections 22(1) and 34(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (the “Constitution”) and articles 4, 16, and 24 of the African Charter …Read more
Taskin and Ors. v. Turkey
Country: TurkeyYear: 2005
Court: European Court of Human Rights
Citation: Application No. 46117/99; (2006) 42 EHRR 50
Health Topics: Environmental health, Water, sanitation and hygiene
Human Rights: Right to a clean environment, Right to due process/fair trial, Right to family life, Right to life, Right to privacy
The applicants lived in the area near Ovacik where the Normandy Madencilik A.Ş company built a gold mine. The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources issued a permit for the mine in 1992 for ten years. The Ministry also authorized the use of cyanide leaching during the gold extraction. Following the Environmental Act, the Ministry …Read more
Republic of Kenya v. Ministry for Transport and Communication, et al., ex parte Waa Ship Garbage Collector, et al.
Country: KenyaYear: 2004
Court: High Court at Mombasa
Citation: "Miscellaneous Civil Application 617 of 2003; KLR (E & L) 1"
Health Topics: Environmental health, Water, sanitation and hygiene
Human Rights: Right to a clean environment
The applicants sought orders of certiorari and prohibition of enforcement of a notice and multiple letters attesting to the fact that the Kenya Ports Authority (the “KPA”) authorized only two firms to operate as sludge removal firms in the port of Mombasa. The applicants ran businesses that removed sludge from ships docking in the Port …Read more
Suo Moto v. State of Rajasthan
Country: IndiaYear: 2004
Court: High Court - Rajasthan
Citation: AIR 2005 Raj 82; RLW 2005 (2) Raj 1437
Health Topics: Environmental health, Health information, Health systems and financing, Infectious diseases, Poverty, Public safety, Water, sanitation and hygiene
Human Rights: Right to a clean environment, Right to food, Right to health, Right to life, Right to water and sanitation
The case was regarding multiple suo moto orders issued by the Rajasthan High Court to the municipal authorities of the city of Jaipur to clean-up, restore and maintain the city which was plagued with trash, open sewage and polluted water bodies. Specific orders were issued to remove and dispose of the plastic and polyethylene bags …Read more
Dr Mohiuddin Farooque, et al. v. Government of Bangladesh, et al.
Country: BangladeshYear: 2001
Court: Supreme Court - High Court Division
Citation: 22 BLD (HDC) (2002) 534
Health Topics: Environmental health, Health systems and financing, Water, sanitation and hygiene
Human Rights: Right to a clean environment, Right to health, Right to life
The Petitioner was the Secretary of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) until his death. He was concerned about the increase in industrial pollution in the country and the Government’s lack of combative measures to tackle the issue. The Department of Environment, Pollution Control had carried out a survey identifying 903 industries that caused ecological imbalances …Read more