PETITION TO ENSURE THE FUNCTIONALITY OF AIR QUALITY MONITORING STATIONS IN THE CITY OF EKURHULENI AS REQUIRED IN TERMS OF THE AIR QUALITY ACT

The DA has uncovered that none of the Air Quality Monitoring Stations in the City are functional. Moreover, the City has failed to secure a tender for air quality monitoring for over a year and has subsequently removed all air quality monitoring performance targets from its Service Delivery and Budget Implementation Plan (SDBIP).

This is a clear violation of the Air Quality Act, which mandates the monitoring and reporting of air quality to ensure the protection of human health and the environment. The City’s inability to maintain these critical facilities is a direct threat to public health and safety. Air quality monitoring is important in Ekurhuleni, a major industrial hub, to protect the health and well-being of its residents by identifying and mitigating air pollution sources. 

The DA demands transparency, accountability, and expedited action to rectify this grave situation.

We, the residents of the City of Ekurhuleni (COE), hereby petition the MMC for Health to:

• Investigate the state of all 10 of our air monitoring stations to ensure that they are 100% functional.
• Ensure that the Bedfordview, Leondale, and Germiston monitoring stations are repaired to report on air quality by the end of November 2025.
• Engages with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) for assistance to ensure that all air quality monitoring stations are functional. 
• Reinstate all KPIs on air quality monitoring in the SDBIP. 
• Finalise the appointment of a contractor to provide air quality monitoring in the City of Ekurhuleni. 
• Provide transparent quarterly reports on the progress of the above to the Health Oversight Committee by November 2025. These reports also need to be made public to ensure public accountability.

Democratic Alliance Ekurhuleni    Contact the author of the petition