AT a recent full council meeting, the DA in eThekwini posed questions surrounding the functionality and efficiency of the city’s 14 air quality monitoring stations. The answers revealed that eight of the 14 stations were not functional.
Southern Works, Warwick Avenue, Grosvenor and Jacobs were non-functional due to storm damage and Wentworth, Ganges, City Hall, and Cato Ridge were non-functional due to problems with their data acquisition systems.
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DA PR councillor for Ward 13 and 15, Marlaine Nair, said, “The DA is concerned that without the proper functioning of these devices, the city will fail in its duty to monitor ambient air quality, report statistics to residents as well as fine licensees that have exceeded the minimum levels of emissions as set out in the National Environmental Management Air Quality Act.”
Nair stated it is the right of every South African citizen to live in an environment that’s not harmful to their health or well-being.
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“The DA is particularly concerned with the long-term effects of non-controlled air quality on the health of eThekwini citizens. Both short- and long-term exposure to air pollutants has been associated with health impacts.
“This is completely unacceptable, the city needs to repair all damaged equipment in order for air quality to be monitored more stringently, and those found guilty of exceeding the minimum standards should be punished,” concluded Nair.
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