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Date : 16/10/2006
Source: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
Title: van Schalkwyk: Inaugural Air Quality Governance Lekgotla


Speech by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mr Marthinus van Schalkwyk, at the inaugural Air Quality Governance Lekgotla, East London

Today's inaugural Annual Air Quality Governance Lekgotla is a momentous occasion. Today's lekgotla shows that we are leading by example, taking a progressive stance on an issue of global importance and setting precedents for governance within our own country. Today we are gearing up for the implementation of the Air Quality Act, a piece of legislation that gives effect to a clause in our Constitution which makes us world leaders on issues of social and environmental justice. This clause says that all people have the right to "an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being". It goes further to say that we have the right "to have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations through legislative and other measures that prevent pollution and ecological degradation."

Our Air Quality Act which came into effect in September last year was heralded as a "breath of fresh air" for the many South Africans who have been breathing polluted air for years. The Act provides for an implementation plan that shows we are serious about delivery. This lekgotla is a milestone that marks the first national gathering of government air quality managers. You will be working together as a team across all three spheres of government, across the municipal and provincial boundaries that are never recognised by air pollution.

It is also fitting that on Wednesday you as government officials will engage with your peers from industry and civil society to develop the roadmap for air quality management for the next five years, namely the National Air Quality Management Framework (NAQMF). This framework will be published on the second anniversary of the Act coming into effect in September next year.

It is also particularly important that this lekgotla has been organised back to back with the annual conference of the National Association for Clean Air. It provides an opportunity for all of you to interact with your peers from industry, academia and civil society. You will have the chance to debate issues of common interest around air quality and also to learn about new approaches, new ideas and best practice in this complex field of air quality management.

There are few people in this room that will deny the challenges before us and many of you may be asking yourselves, "where do we start?"

I believe we need to start by establishing the extent of the problem and focusing our attention on current and emerging threats to air quality. To this end, in the very next session, you will be presented with the results of the South African Weather Service - Wits University Aerial Survey. This exciting collaboration gives us a snapshot of air quality in South Africa allowing us to identify current and future air pollution hotspots and take appropriate action. At a glance it is clear that Secunda and the general Witbank area are cause for concern. However, the Department will study this report and make recommendations with a view to the identification of the second national priority area in November. Furthermore, it is also clear from the survey that the levels of volatile organic compounds in the general Highveld area need further investigation and confirmation at ground level.

Notwithstanding these initial findings, this snapshot will be further enriched by detailed information that will be contained in our "State of the Air Report" which will be published later this year. At this lekgotla the first draft of this document will be circulated for your comment and recommendations. This document will ultimately identify exactly where we need to focus our efforts. It will also be used as the baseline against which we will measure the effectiveness of our efforts in the coming years.

Furthermore, I have published a new set of ambient air quality standards for public comment and I have received numerous responses. These comments will be used to inform the final standards and once published they will provide the objectives for all of our air quality interventions.

As such we have a clear starting point and a clear end point. However, it is the "joining of the dots" that will be our work now and into the future. Given the focus of this lekgotla, it is clear that everyone has recognised our air quality governance capacity constraints. The science and practise of "cutting-edge" air quality management has been on the decline for several years. As a result, highly skilled and experienced air quality managers are extremely rare. But skilled personnel are only one component of our capacity challenge and it will be necessary to address all the components of effective capacity for effective service delivery.

In the short-term the Department's Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act (APPA) Registration Certificate Review project, the so-called "Top 50 Polluter" project has two specific objectives. The first is to provide short to medium-term improvements in air quality through reduced industrial emissions. The second is to build capacity in provincial and local spheres of government through "learning by doing". As such I encourage all affected provinces and municipalities to fully and actively participate in this project over the next 18 months.

In this regard, I am expecting the Department's recommendations on the initial set of industries to be the subject of the review within the next few weeks and once I have approved this list the Department will immediately get into contact with all the affected provinces and municipalities.

I have noticed a slogan on the banners around these walls proclaiming that "an investment in air quality management is an investment in public health". It has been estimated that the health impacts of pollution from fossil fuel burning alone costs our fiscus R4 billion every year. By way of comparison the cost of implementing the Air Quality Act is only R80 million. This does not only make economic sense it also gives us the opportunity to fulfil our primary function as government, improving the quality of life for the citizens of our country.

Finally we need to combat the idea that tighter air quality management will restrict development. It is poor air quality that does this. Good air quality management is good for business and communities as it provides a basis for all stakeholders to engage constructively as good neighbours.

With these few words I wish you a successful and productive lekgotla and I urge you to fully exploit this precious opportunity to strengthen the relationships you have so far established through the various Air Quality Officers' Forums, and actively share your experiences and common problems as equal partners in air quality governance.

Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
16 October 2006
 

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