HPA REVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE TO DETERMINE WHETHER AIR QUALITY IN THE NKANGALA DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY HAS IMPROVED SINCE 2007

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) has issued a questionnaire to the eMalahleni Local Municipality (ELM) as part of a "mini shadow review" to evaluate the implementation of the Highveld Priority Area (HPA) Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP). The review seeks to identify resource gaps in the municipality and determine if air quality in the Middelburg and eMalahleni areas of the Nkangala District Municipality (NDM) has improved since the HPA was declared in 2007. The CER notes that despite statutory mechanisms, "air quality remains poor on the Highveld" as of 2016. The questionnaire focuses on several key areas: the clarity of regulatory responsibilities across government spheres; the adequacy of financial resources and budgets allocated to ELM for air quality functions since 2007/8; the qualifications and training of staff, including designated air quality officers and Environmental Management Inspectors; measures taken to reduce dust and emissions from domestic coal burning in low-income settlements; and whether industrial facilities have reduced emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases. Additionally, the document highlights a data gap in assessing air quality improvements, noting that DEA/South African Weather Service data from 2009 to 2015 shows that "the number of exceedances of ambient air quality standards have increased slightly" and that some monitoring instruments have malfunctioned over extended periods.

• The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) is conducting a "mini shadow review" to evaluate if the implementation of the 2012 Highveld Priority Area (HPA) Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP) has improved air quality and to identify resource gaps within municipalities.
• Despite the 2007 declaration of the Mpumalanga Highveld as a priority area for air pollution and the establishment of institutional mechanisms, air quality in the region was still considered poor in 2016.
• Data from the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) and the South African Weather Service between 2009 and 2015 suggests a slight increase in the number of times ambient air quality standards were exceeded.
• The ability to accurately assess air quality improvements is hindered by the fact that monitoring instruments have experienced malfunctions over long periods.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2016). HPA REVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE TO DETERMINE WHETHER AIR QUALITY IN THE NKANGALA DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY HAS IMPROVED SINCE 2007. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CER-HPA-Mini-Shadow-Review-Identified-Indicators-for-eMalahleni-Local-Municipality-_15-June-2016.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. HPA REVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE TO DETERMINE WHETHER AIR QUALITY IN THE NKANGALA DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY HAS IMPROVED SINCE 2007. 2016. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CER-HPA-Mini-Shadow-Review-Identified-Indicators-for-eMalahleni-Local-Municipality-_15-June-2016.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=HPA REVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE TO DETERMINE WHETHER AIR QUALITY IN THE NKANGALA DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY HAS IMPROVED SINCE 2007 |date=15 June 2016 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CER-HPA-Mini-Shadow-Review-Identified-Indicators-for-eMalahleni-Local-Municipality-_15-June-2016.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2016hpa, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{HPA REVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE TO DETERMINE WHETHER AIR QUALITY IN THE NKANGALA DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY HAS IMPROVED SINCE 2007}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2016}, month = jun, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CER-HPA-Mini-Shadow-Review-Identified-Indicators-for-eMalahleni-Local-Municipality-_15-June-2016.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }