Guatemala – Hydrilla verticillata herb’s outbreak in Lake Izabal

This case filed and presented by the “Amigos del lago Izabal” (ASALI) Association depicts the presence of an herb also known as Hydrilla verticillata, an aquatic plant that has spread throughout the lake in an estimated area of 70 km2. According to ASALI that is not the only threat the lake faces: the high deforestation, the use of chemical pesticides and the lack of an appropriate water sanitation system pose a serious hazard to this important ecosystem.

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Honduras –Mangrove deforestation and aquatic ecosystems contamination from shrimp farming companies in the Gulf of Fonseca

This case was filed by the Comite de Defensa de la Flora y Fauna del Golfo de Fonseca (CODDEFFAGOLF). CODDEFFAGOLF has denounced the shrimp industry for water contamination and the removal of large mangrove areas in the Gulf of Fonseca. This organization estimates the mangrove forest removal in 22% of its original surface between 1971 and 1992.

Veredict (Only in spanish)

Honduras – Hazardous chemical contamination of the Lara River from the MINOSA Mining Company’s operations in San Andres de la Union, Copan

This case was filed by the Asociacion de Organizaciones no Gubernamentales (ASONOG) and the Patronato Pro Mejoramiento Ambiental San Andres Copan.

The aforementioned organizations denounced the cyanide related waste being poured into the Lara River, which constitutes one of the Higuito River’s tributaries. The latter supplies the drinking water to the Santa Rosa Copan community, Copan Department’s main city.

According to the plaintiffs, the water plant located downstream from the quarry supplies potable water to 28,000 inhabitants.

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El Salvador – Anillo periferico and by-pass connections” highway project in the Nejapa and San Salvador Districts

Case filed by the Unidad Ecologica Salvadoreña (UNES).

This Highway Project has been promoted by the Salvadoran government, as a possible measure oriented to mitigate the heavy traffic jam in San Salvador’s Metropolitan Area. This project, according to UNES, threats the San Salvador aquifer which supplies the drinking water to the San Salvador’s population.

El Salvador is the Central American country that deals with the greatest drinking water scarcity problems. For UNES, this project would damage the groundwater systems that supply potable water to San Salvador’s Metropolitan Area, and thereby, it would subsequently threat the access to drinking water for future generations.

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Nicaragua - Drainage and Redirection of the Negro and Guasaule River

This case was filed by Centro Alexander Von Humboldt, Alcaldía de Somotillo and Club de Jóvenes Ambientalistas.

The Rio Negro basin is shared by Nicaragua and Honduras.

According to the plaintiffs, a water extraction project has diverted the river waters into Honduran territory, subsequently draining those waters from Nicaraguan territory depleting 36 water wells in the process: The resulting droughts have caused a severe water scarcity with harmful consequences for the local communities and death to the cattle.

The plaintiffs claim that this situation has forced the locals to walk long distances to fetch water at higher costs.

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Costa Rica – Risk of groundwater over extraction in Guanacaste Province’s aquifers

Development Associations from the Santa Cruz district in Guanacaste filed a complaint against the eventual water extraction from an aquifer located in the community of Lorena. This water would be supplied to the hotel industry in order to meet its water needs.

Guanacaste is the country’s province with the longest lasting dry season and it faces water scarcity problems. According to the plaintiffs, this region has experienced a growing hotel development from the beginning of the nineties, subsequently, groundwater extraction has increased dramatically.

They also claim the Santa Cruz district’s populations will face water scarcity in the near future.

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Costa Rica – Crop Dusting Complaint in Matina, Limon Province




Complaint filed by Marco Machore Levy for aerial fumigation in the Banana Crop Farm of Carrandi, located in Larga Distancia of Matina, Limon.

According to the plaintiff this case has been submitted to the Constitutional Court and it poses a serious threat to the communities’ inhabitants and the region’s water sources, including the Cuba river.

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Panamá – Transportation of hazardous radioactive waste across the Panama Canal.


This case was filed by the Instancia de la Sociedad Civil para el Ambiente (ISCA).

For longer than two decades, the Panama Canal has been used as a transportation route of highly irradiated nuclear fuel from Japan to be reprocessed in France and the Great Britain.

The reprocessed fuel is shipped back to Japan (also across the Panama Canal), along with a considerable load of nuclear waste which is the spent nuclear fuel that could not be reprocessed.

According to ISCA, an eventual fuel spill would imply a serious threat to Panama’s water availability, considering that the lake reservoirs that supply the water to the Panama Canal for its operations, also supply the potable water to 51% of Panama’s population.

Veredicto (Only in spanish).