The City of Ekurhuleni is inviting residents of the City to comment on its groundbreaking draft by-law on air quality controls and management.
The Draft Air Quality By-law, recently published for public comment, proposes tighter air quality controls. It aims to help the metro control all air-borne pollutants.
This entails regulating industries, vehicles emissions, dust emissions, open burning, agricultural activities, pesticide spraying, spray painting emissions, and other sorts of environmental pollutants.
The draft by-law is also aimed at addressing issues related to noise pollution and complaints.
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The City urges all community members, interested and affected parties (IAPs), organisations to make use of this opportunity to provide input. Registrations will run between August 10 and September 10. The consultation process will then start on September 20.
An electronic copy of the draft by-law is downloadable from the City of Ekurhuleni’s website (www.ekurhuleni.gov.za). To register names and emails of IAPs as well as organisations that want to take part in the process, email Nomvula.sirenqe@ekurhuleni.gov.za. Or contact the office of the City’s Air Quality Officer, Dr Jerry Chaka, on 011 999 2970 for more information on the process.
According to the metro spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini, during a meeting held on July 29, the council took a decision to approve the City’s draft Air Quality Management By-laws to be taken for public consultation and participation in Ekurhuleni.
“In speeding up the promulgation of the bylaws, the City intends to arrange visual meetings with all IAPs including other structures of the community that may be affected by the by-law.
“The draft by-law is an outcome of thorough internal consultations with other relevant departments as well as the process of greening of by-laws in the City. The need was identified by the City to have its own by-laws to address matters related to the high levels of air pollution in the City emanating from a number of sources including industries,” explained Dlamini.
The metro pointed out that the City of Ekurhuleni was declared a priority area by the minister of the Department
of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries in terms of Section 18 of the National
Environment Management: Air Quality Act, 2004 (Act 39 of 2004), and therefore forms part of the Highveld Priority Area which covers Ekurhuleni and extends to Mpumalanga.
“The City was declared a priority area due to high levels of air pollution in the area. Some of the factors causing the high levels of pollution are the large numbers of industries in the City, as we understand that the City is known as the highest industrialised in South Africa and the African continent.
“The other reason is due to wind direction resulting in pollution from industries in Mpumalanga landing in Ekurhuleni. This by-law, therefore, aims to mitigate against the high levels of pollution and minimise pollutions to acceptable levels for human health as well as the environment.
“Let us make our voice heard for the creation of an environment that is not harmful to our communities, both present and future generations.”
Contact the newsroom by emailing:
Marietta Lombard (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za, or (Journalists) Busi Vilakazi busiv@caxton.co.za
