Residents holding their breath for a solution

Mpumalanga, now specifically Ga-Nala (former Kriel) is always in the news because of dirty air.

To add more fuel to the fire South Africa’s National Air Quality Officer, Dr Thuli Khumalo, is considering whether to weaken the country’s SO2 limits even further.

Weakening the already-lax SO2 limits, would make these around 10 times weaker than the equivalent standard in India and 28 times weaker than the equivalent standard in China.

During a Portfolio Committee briefing by the Department of Environmental Affairs on the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances depleting the Ozone Layer on February 12 the importance of international agreements for the South African economy was noted.

However, such agreements had to be considered in the light of the particular context of South Africa and, if necessary, the need for adaptations of international protocols.

The amended Section 21 Notice was promulgated on October 31, 2018 wherein the new plant standard for SO2 for existing plants had been revised from 500 mg/Nm3 to 1 000 mg/Nm3, applicable from April 1, 2020.

“Eskom and Sasol must not be allowed any more space to pollute the air that we breathe. In the face of overwhelming evidence that our air is toxic, South Africa’s National Air Quality Officer must show up for the job of protecting people’s health by enforcing compliance with our already woefully inadequate Minimum Emission Standards. Air pollution and the climate emergency share the same solution. Governments across the world owe it to citizens to stop investing in fossil fuels and shift to safer, more sustainable sources of energy,” said Melita Steele, Senior Climate and Energy Campaign Manager at Greenpeace Africa.

Greenpeace demand that key actions must be taken:

Absolutely no further postponements from complying with Minimum Emission Standards for Eskom’s coal-fired power stations in South Africa can be granted.

If coal-fired power stations don’t comply, they need to be decommissioned.

Dr Khumalo must ensure that there is full compliance with South Africa’s Minimum Emission Standards by both Eskom and Sasol, the country’s two biggest emitters.

Under no circumstances should the SO2 limits be weakened.

Dr Khumalo should instead be looking to strengthen our Minimum Emission Standards.

An air pollution action plan for Mpumalanga, Johannesburg, Pretoria and all other high priority areas, that follows the guidelines and maximum air pollution levels of the World Health Organization (WHO) and international emission standards for coal-fired power stations, sets up concrete measures and steps to improve the air pollution levels in those regions and makes sure that they comply with the air pollution standards within five years and introduces independent, regular and reliable air pollution monitoring, which is available to the public and informs decision-making.

The environmental organisation also want no new coal-fired power stations in the national electricity plan (IRP 2018), the cancellation of unit five and six in Kusile coal power plant and the decommissioning of 50 percent of current coal-fired power stations by 2030 in line with the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report.

On Monday, June 10, environmental justice groups, groundWork and Mpumalanga community organisation Vukani Environmental Justice Movement in Action (Vukani) launched landmark litigation demanding that government clean up the air in the Mpumalanga Highveld.

The two entities represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights claim that the government has violated the constitutional right to a healthy environment for the people calling the Highveld their home.

They are now taking steps because, according to them, government failed to improve the deadly levels of air pollution in the area.

“Living in eMalahleni, one of the most polluted areas in the country, has hugely affected our health and lives. Both government and industry have continuously failed to deal with the problem, irrespective of our efforts to engage with them to ensure they take steps to protect human health. Together with groundWork, Vukani has decided to use litigation to push government to take urgent steps to deal with the high air pollution and in the interest of our health and to protect our right to clean air,” said Vusi Mabaso, chairperson of Vukani.