World Clean Up Day places a spotlight on the cleanliness of our surrounds.
First up was a focus on air quality on Monday. The main air quality pollutants seem to be sulphur dioxide, especially in metropolitan municipalities.
According to Makhotso Sotyu, Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, “large scale industrial activities, power stations, vehicles, waste burning, and the burning of open veld continue to be major causes of air pollution.”
Speaking at the National Air Quality Governance Lekgotla, Sotyu also said load shedding has increased the country’s reliance on alternative energy sources such as generators, coal, wood, charcoal, and paraffin in communities. The reliance on these alternative energy sources not only poses health hazards to the individuals themselves, but also exacerbate the deterioration of air quality. “
Residence and environmentalists rolled up their sleeves to clean up areas of concern. The Waterberg Biosphere Reserve and the Hennops River Revival, led teams to clean up.
Waterberg wrote on their social media platforms: “As we embrace the arrival of the spring season, both our school gardens and the wider community have been actively engaged in fostering a culture of gardening. Our primary focus remains promoting community and school-based gardening initiatives, with a special emphasis on cultivating vegetables and indigenous trees.”
Councillor Jack Sekwaila spearheaded a comprehensive clean-up campaign and public education drive in Meadowlands, Soweto, to mark the International Day for Clean Air for Blue Skies on Thursday, 7 September. Themed ‘Together for Clean Air,’ a statement from the City of Johannesburg said there is a need for robust collaborations, augmented investments, and collective responsibility in the battle against air pollution.