impact-assessment-implementation-regulations-794d4b2c1ded80a0.pdf

This 2019 Phase 1 Initial Impact Assessment, produced by the Department of Environment Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) for the South African Presidency's Socio-Economic Impact Assessment System (SEIAS), evaluates the need for regulations to enforce Air Quality Management Plans (AQMPs) in three priority areas. The document identifies a failure to meet National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) due to ineffective AQMP implementation and a lack of accountability for non-industrial stakeholders.

• Three priority areas were declared under the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004: the Vaal Triangle Airshed Priority Area (VTAPA) on 21 April 2006, the Highveld Priority Area (HPA) on 23 November 2007, and the Waterberg Bojanala Priority Area (WBPA) on 15 June 2012.
• Air quality in these priority areas consistently fails to meet National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), specifically regarding particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), even after the development and implementation of AQMPs.
• The primary cause of poor air quality is the lack of enforcement mechanisms to hold stakeholders—including government, communities, and mines—accountable for AQMP commitments, as current licensing systems primarily target industries.
• Health studies in VTAPA and HPA indicate that communities are at high risk of acute and chronic health effects from exposure to PM, NOx, and SO2. In the HPA, meeting annual PM2.5 and PM10 NAAQS could potentially save 4,881 and 5,125 lives, respectively.
• Several factors contribute to the persistence of air pollution, including the use of fossil fuels for domestic heating and cooking in low-income areas, waste burning due to collapsing municipal service delivery, and dust emissions from the mining sector.
• The document proposes three options: developing new prescriptive AQMP regulations, implementing existing regulatory tools, or improving service delivery. The preferred option is the development of AQMP regulations to ensure all sectors are held accountable.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). impact-assessment-implementation-regulations-794d4b2c1ded80a0.pdf. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Impact-Assessment-Implementation-Regulations.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. impact-assessment-implementation-regulations-794d4b2c1ded80a0.pdf. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Impact-Assessment-Implementation-Regulations.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=impact-assessment-implementation-regulations-794d4b2c1ded80a0.pdf |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Impact-Assessment-Implementation-Regulations.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrightsndimpactassessmentimplementationregulations794d4b2c1ded80a0pdf, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{impact-assessment-implementation-regulations-794d4b2c1ded80a0.pdf}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Impact-Assessment-Implementation-Regulations.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }