Despite strides in legislative developments, such as the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act of 2005, air quality continues to be a national challenge, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Deputy Minister Maggie Sotyu said on October 4.

"The Air Quality Act emphasises the importance of cooperative governance structures and measurable investments in air quality monitoring infrastructure, all of which are key to ensuring that our air is breathable and not harmful to anyone," she said in an address to the 2022 Annual Air Quality Governance Lekgotla, under the theme Strengthening Air Quality Management Systems.

The Constitution entrenches the right to environmental protection, most notably an environment that is not harmful to the health or wellbeing of all, she added.

"However, air pollution levels in some areas are often over the legal thresholds specified in our National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Exceeding these indicates that part of the population is exposed to air quality that is potentially detrimental to their health and wellbeing," Sotyu noted.

"A National Emission Reduction Framework, to be crafted during this lekgotla, must provide a solution to the challenge of meeting the National Ambient Air Quality Standards within a reasonable time. In addition, the framework must provide for an efficient and coordinated effort by all spheres of government and the affected stakeholders to implement the approved air quality management plans," she said.

"Our monitoring station measurements show that particulate matter, sulphur dioxide and ozone continue to be the key pollutants of concern, especially in the three priority areas of the Vaal Triangle, the Highveld and the Waterberg-Bojanala region, as well as in our cities and towns."

South Africa's air quality is affected by pollutants emitted from numerous sources, particularly industries, power generation, mining operations, the transport sector, waste burning and from households, especially those still reliant on burning wood for heat and power, she pointed out.

Earlier this year, the North Gauteng High Court handed down a judgment against the government declaring that the poor air quality in the Highveld Priority Area is in breach of residents' Constitutional right to an environment that is not harmful to their health and wellbeing.

"This application was brought by environmental justice groups in Mpumalanga Highveld and is an indictment on all spheres of government. The application was a clear indication that the general public and civil society are becoming more and more aware of the impact of poor air quality on the health of citizens and the environment.

"However, this judgment was also a watershed. It calls on government to fast-track improvements in air quality management and to ensure we uphold the Constitutional rights for all citizens.

"It requires government to strengthen our air quality management systems, especially by capacitating the State in the implementation of legislation, the introducing of air pollution reduction programs, improvement in the management of monitoring infrastructure, and in authorisation and compliance monitoring," Sotyu emphasised.

In fast-tracking those improvements, priority area regulations are to be submitted to Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy in due course. These will provide the much-needed mechanisms to improve accountability and enforcement of priority areas' air quality management plans and implementation thereof, she added.

To improve air quality, air pollution from all sources must be reduced through bankable commitments. Sources of air pollution are diverse and complex, and therefore a multitude of interventions and a strong commitment from all stakeholders, including government, the private sector and communities, are needed.

While concerted efforts have been made to bring the priority areas to compliance, emissions of certain pollutants continue to result in persistent poor air quality, she said.

"The Priority Area Regulations will assist in implementation and enforcement of air quality management plans. Through these regulations, all polluters will be required to commit to emission reduction programmes that will be continuously evaluated and monitored. While these regulations are for the three declared priority areas, such mechanisms must be emulated in other areas where air pollution remains a challenge," Sotyu stated.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) is engaging with the National Treasury for an intervention that will be implemented through the South African Weather Service to assist government in the management of monitoring stations. It will also assist in building capacity in much-needed technical expertise in the long term.

Air quality monitoring stations have continued to face increasing pressure due to escalating operational and maintenance costs, vandalism and the fact that much of the equipment being used is aging. While many provinces and municipalities have invested in recapitalising the infrastructure, performance reports show that more investment is required to ensure that all stations are fully operational, she noted.

"Implementation of air quality management functions requires a capable State, especially at local government level, which is the frontline for implementation. This lekgotla must take forward recommendations on municipal organisational structures for consideration," Sotyu emphasised.

"Air pollution impacts on health require immediate interventions, particularly because the Constitutional right to healthy air has been confirmed by Deadly Air judgment to be a matter that requires our attention now. We all have an obligation to ensure our people have healthy air to breathe," she said.