06/06/2005:"There
are a number of basic resources that all of
us need to survive. We need food, we need
water, we need shelter and above all we need
clean air that we can breathe." These
were the words of Marthinus van Schalkwyk,
Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism,
addressing community members from across the
Vaal Triangle at the first in a series of
nationwide Clean Air Imbizo meetings on Monday
in Boipatong , Gauteng .
In his Budget Vote Speech earlier this year
the Minister committed the Department to meet
with the communities worst-affected by air
pollution to hear their most urgent concerns,
to share with them the actions being taken
by Government, and to announce the roll-out
and implementation of the new air quality
laws at provincial and local level.
"For too many years South Africa didn't
pay enough attention to how clean or dirty
our air was," said the Minister. "We
had some very basic laws about what a single
factory could pump into the air, but nothing
that addressed the result when hundreds of
factories were clustered into one area. We
also didn't have laws that could really hold
people responsible who polluted our air, but
all of this has now changed with the new Air
Quality Act passed by Parliament last year.
It is a major improvement because it looks
at air quality in an area, not just one factory
or one community. It also gives Government
the responsibility to set basic standards
for what is clean air.Perhaps most importantly
it gives us new powers to punish people who
pollute our air – making them pay to clean
it up."
The Minister used the opportunity to pay
tribute to communities like those of the Vaal
Triangle, Durban South, Secunda, Richards
Bay , and Table View who he identified as
being amongst the most important drivers of
the new air quality laws. " You came
to Parliament to tell us your communities
need help. We are here today, for this Imbizo,
to try to make that happen."
Turning specifically to the situation in
the Vaal Triangle the Minster said: "We
know that there are a number of major sources
of air pollution in this area - heavy industries,
refineries, a power station, motor cars, and
more than 14 000 households burning coal for
heat and cooking. Recent studies have shown
that the health costs of burning fuels in
the Vaal, associated with respiratory diseases,
are estimated to be more than R274 million
every year – we can't afford not to act. We
also know that this is a complicated problem
because air concerns in the Vaal stretch across
the Gauteng and Free State border,and this
is another reason why we are holding this
first Clean Air Imbizo here – because its
a problem that, under the new law, the National
Government will need help the provincial and
local authorities to address."
Speaking about the action planned by Government
the Minister said: " On 1 September this
year, I will officially bring into force some
of the most important parts of the Air Quality
Act – especially to improve the air quality
of areas like the Vaal Triangle." Amongst
the sections that will be brought into effect
on 1 September are the national framework
for air quality management; national, provincial
and local air quality and emission standards;
air quality and emission measurements; the
appointment of air quality officers; and,
most importantly for the Vaal Triangle, the
section dealing with national priority areas
– or pollution 'hot-spots'.
The ability to officially declare a national
priority area is one of the most powerful
management tools of the Air Quality Act. It
means that an air quality management plan,
to bring air quality within healthy limits,
must be submitted to the Minister by a strict
deadline. It also means that the Minister
gains regulatory powers to ensure that the
plan is implemented, including ensuring the
funding needed and setting the penalties for
those who don't meet the standards.
"Everything that we have heard and seen
today has convinced me of one thing – that
the Air Quality in the Vaal Triangle does
not meet even our interim air quality standards
and that a situation exists in this area that
is having a truly negative impact on air quality.
I would like therefore to make a commitment
today – that when the new laws come into effect
on 1 September this year I will launch the
process to formally declare the Vaal Triangle
to be our first National Priority Area for
Air Quality. The Vaal Triangle will be our
first air pollution hot-spot," said the
Minister.
Expanding on the significance of this announcement
the Minister said: "Once declared, the
national air quality officer will be instructed
to consult with the air quality officers of
the affected provinces and municipalities
with a view to preparing the management plan
for the area. We will expect the draft plan
to be submitted for approval within 1 year
of the declaration. The draft must clearly
describe how air quality management will be
coordinated in the Vaal , how the air quality
problems will be addressed and how its implementation
will be managed and monitored by a committee
representing all relevant role-players."
"This doesn't mean that the air will
become clean overnight," said the Minister.
"This problem has developed over decades
and will take some time to properly solve.
What we can say is that today we make a real
start – and for this we will need all of your
partnership - in the community, in industry
and in all spheres of Government. Nobody in
South Africa should have to climb out of bed,
wondering why their chest is tight, why their
eyes are burning, and why they cannot breathe.
Nobody should have to open their curtains
and look up at a sky that is brown from smoke
more often than it is blue."
