Environment experts caution on new report lauding WC regions for less pollution in Africa

Environmental organisations and experts have cautioned against the recent report that has lauded three Western Cape regions as one of the least polluted in Africa.

The 2022 World Air Quality report found that Oudtshoorn, Grabouw and Cape Town in the Western Cape, were one of the least polluted regions in the continent and that they had met the WHO PM 2.5 guideline in 2022.

Dr Cardee Wright, the chief specialist scientist in the environment and health research unit at the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) said that the measurements being reported in the report, were made by low-cost sensors and not high-grade, scientific quality equipment.

“These measurements should be considered with caution. Low-cost sensors can be unreliable, which is why South Africa has the South African Air Quality Information System to monitor air quality across the country using acceptable instruments.

“The second point is that we have air pollution hot spots in South Africa (the Vaal Triangle, the highveld, south Durban) that are prioritised for air quality management,” she said.

Wright said air quality is also managed in the Western Cape by the government and their data should be consulted in conjunction with the data in this report.

“It was interesting to see that the locations where the low-cost sensors were located are not commonly places that we measure air pollution; I don’t see why these sites were chosen. For example Nieuwoudtville? And where in Cape Town exactly is the low-cost sensor located?

“The location will influence the measurements. I do not believe that air quality (PM2.5 concentrations) are really below the WHO guideline in Cape Town,” she said.

The report outlined that the South African Constitution guarantees a clean environment free of pollution: a right enshrined within the country’s Bill of Rights. But poor air quality in many cities means that right remains unrealized for far too many South Africans.

The Centre for Environmental Rights' (CER) declined to comment on the report and said they have not worked on particular aspects of air quality in South Africa that are dealt with in the report. CER’s attorney, Ntombi Maphosa, unpacked the judgement that found the government in breach of their constitutional mandate.

“In the deadly air judgement, the high court recognised that the poor air quality in South Africa’s Mpumalanga Highveld region is a breach of residents’ Constitutional right to an environment that is not harmful to their health and well-being in terms of section 24 of the Constitution.

“The court also ordered the government to pass regulations to implement and enforce the Highveld Priority Area Air Quality Management Plan, which is aimed at cleaning up the air on the highveld to meet health-based air quality standards. Judge Collis found that the minister responsible for the environment has a legal duty to pass these regulations, and that she has “unreasonably delayed” in preparing and initiating regulations to give effect to the Highveld Plan,” she said.

Maphosa said that the judgement stated that the creation of implementation regulations was the most desirable option and that the potential benefits of lives saved and improved health outweigh the costs. The court noted (based on the draft regulations before it at the time) that the proposed implementation regulations would provide necessary regulatory tools that are not available under any existing legislation and assist in accountability, alignment, support and creating enforceable timeliness. The latest draft of the implementation regulations is currently out for public comment.

Wright said that the consequences of using alternative, ‘dirty fuel’ choices as a result of load shedding is a worry for all parts of South Africa but especially for urban areas where there are multiple other sources of air pollution.

“For example, vehicles, industries, and domestic solid fuel burning. Diesel and petrol generators are a real concern since often the vents are in the breathing zone of people putting people at risk of excess exposure to air pollutants. It’s especially worrying for infants, pregnant women, and people with pre-existing diseases,” she said

Mayco member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Patricia Van der Ross said the City of Cape Town welcomes the report’s findings.

“Whilst this information was gathered from a limited number of portable air quality samplers, it none-the-less demonstrates a steady decline in PM2.5 levels at the sample site over the last three years, which is encouraging.

“The City’s Air Quality Management Unit works hard to implement programmes to monitor compliance and enforcement with the National Environmental Management : Air Quality Act and the City of Cape Town Air Quality Management Bylaws. This includes efforts to regulate licensed listed activities and the installation and operation of small fuel burning equipment, as well as the implementation of roadside Diesel Vehicle Emissions Testing Programmes in partnership with our traffic services.

Van der Ross said it is important to note that all sectors of society have a role to play in combating air pollution, through the choices we make on a daily basis; like individuals making informed choices on how to heat their homes to