Environment Health Act No. 1 of 2009.

This Act consisting of 16 articles divided in V Sections aims at protecting the environment by establishing an institutional body and defining its competences. It establishes the Environmental Health National Council with the following main tasks (i) propose general policies, plans and programs in the field of the environmental health; (ii) classify health substances, resulting from dangerous substances, according to the danger thereof and lay down rules for importing these substances; and (iii) lay down rules for inspection of sites, in case of suspicion of committing any health contravention, in the field of garbage, and dangerous health garbage. This Act deals also with (i) rules to protect potable water sources from solid, liquid or gaseous substances potentially dangerous (industrial, sewage water, solid waste, dead animals); (ii) rules to control and examine potable water; (iii) health conditions to prevent air pollution; (iv) health protection from insects and other directly or indirectly vectors of disease. Regulating the dealing with dangerous health garbage, this Act provides for (i) conditions and controls to be complied, such as the use of modern technology means to reduce health-hazardous waste production and to choose alternatives for the product less injurious to environmental health; (ii) dangerous health waste storage and places for disposal; (iii) binding solid and liquid waste management rules (ban on throwing in public places, or flush the liquid garbage except in specified places and by such methods); and (iv) assessment by a government concerned committee of the environmental and health effect of any activities or facilities or projects. The Act states as well that the Minister of Health may suspend any national institution producing dangerous health garbage or suspend activity of the same, whenever it is proved that this institution constitutes a public health danger.
The V Sections are entitled as follows: Preliminary Provisions (I); Establishment of the Council, its composition, competences and powers (II); Maintaining the air and potable water and combating disease vectors (III); Health-hazardous wastes, and solid and liquid wastes (IV); and General Provisions (V).