International Day of Clean Air commemorated in Davidsonville
According to Councillor Sun the Davidsonville air quality station has been offline for more than three years following unabated vandalism and theft.
Thursday, September 8 saw the MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services Department (EISD) Michael Sun re-launch the Davidsonville Air Quality Monitoring Station in Davidsonville to mark International Day for Clean Air for Blue Skies.
The day kicked off with the singing of the national anthem that was led by the young voices from Roodepoort Primary School.
Ward 71 councillor René Benjamin welcomed everyone present and also acknowledged the presence of the learners who listened to several presentations on the importance of clean air.
According to Councillor Sun the Davidsonville air quality station has been offline for more than three years following unabated vandalism and theft.
But as part of Johannesburg’s Golden Repair he announced the re-commissioning of the station with future plans to upgrade it further.
“The City operates eight air quality monitoring stations across all regions that record and report the state of air quality within the Metro. This information is then made available for public consumption on the South African Air Quality Information System website and app. As Johannesburg is entrusted with the responsibility of managing air quality in the City through the implementation of by-laws and awareness programmes directed at both residents and businesses, information provided by these stations is critical.
“The data assists the City to make informed decisions to better manage air pollution and develop policies that recognise the importance of conserving natural resources. Some of the interventions that the city has put in place include the Air Pollution Control by-laws and Vehicle Emissions strategy, and the Community Dust Monitoring campaign. The city also uses low-cost sensors to measure air pollution in communities around Johannesburg.
“Clean air is critical to maintaining the health and livelihoods of all Joburg’s people. Budget has been set aside in the current and next financial year to procure additional equipment with the objective of eventually converting the Davidsonville station into a fully fledged monitoring station that tracks all the priority pollutants,” Councillor Sun said.
Designated Air Quality Officer in the City, Lebo Molefe reflected on the many factors that influence air quality and pleaded with the community to help protect the important asset as well as urged them to play their role to protect the Quality Monitoring Station.
“Our stations have been vandalised in the past, please let’s report vandalism to law-enforcement authorities and work together to improve air quality in the city of gold,” said Molefe.
Every year on September 7, International Day of Clean Air for Blue skies serves to prioritise the need for healthy air for all while keeping conversations broad enough to encompass other critical issues such as climate change.
This year, the day is celebrated under the theme “The Air We Share” and focuses on the trans-boundary nature of air pollution, highlighting the need for collective accountability and collective action.
Molefe said the City recently adopted the Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP) that aims to ensure that they achieve clean air for all through the implementation of coordinated actions that will result in the reduction of emissions.
The event was followed by the A Re Sebetseng clean-up campaign during which city entities, residents and local stakeholders rolled up their sleeves and cleaned the streets and pavements of Davidsonville.
The campaign was also used to educate the community on the linkage between waste and air pollution.
