On March 18, 2024, a complaint against the French government concerning the deprivation of drinking water in Guadeloupe was registered by the Council of Europe.
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) maintains that this deprivation is the result both of the many water cuts that regularly disrupt the distribution network and of the water with chlordecone, a highly dangerous pesticide. FIDH alleges that this continuing and worsening deprivation of drinking water has a serious impact on the lives of more than 380,000 people in Guadeloupe. It also denounces the lack of effective preventive and curative measures for more than 665,000 people whose health is exposed to the harmful consequences of chlordecone in the French overseas departments of Martinique and Guadeloupe. FIDH further alleges that this situation constitutes a discrimination against the French overseas populations, and more specifically against the economically vulnerable Antillean population, in violation of the Articles 11 (the right to protection of health), 17§1 (the right of children and young persons to social, legal and economic protection), 30 (the right to protection against poverty and social exclusion) and 31 (the right to housing) as well as Article E (non-discrimination) read in conjunction with each of the aforementioned provisions of the revised European Social Charter.