12 June 2009

JOBURG'S environment is overburdened, the City’s 2008 State of Environment Report has pointed out. Advice from the City However, the City is determined to improve current environmental conditions.

An increasing population, along with a growing urbanisation rate, is placing a strain on Joburg’s environment, particularly in the use of energy and natural resources.

According to the report energy consumption had increased since 2001, with power used for lighting rising by 4,1 percent from 2001 to 2007.

The state of the environment was not what was desired, according to the member of the mayoral committee for environment, Prema Naidoo.

However, he added, the release of the report – on Wednesday, 10 June at a ceremony in Alexandra – demonstrated the City’s commitment to improving current environmental conditions.

Flora Mokgohloa, the executive director of environmental management, said that “part of the reason it (city’s environment) is not satisfying is because the city has grown in terms of population and the urbanisation rate.”

The City had electrified 50 000 homes between 2002 and 2007 in townships such as Vlakfontein, Alexandra, Golden Triangle and Tshepisong East, while electricity was also being installed in newly developed and developing areas across the metro.

“The fact that energy consumption is increasing is worrying. Eskom requires more coal to burn, which contributes to our air pollution,” said Mokgohloa.

Deteriorating urban air quality “has the potential for human health and environmental effects”, the report stressed. It listed emissions from domestic fuel burning, vehicles, industries and mining operations as major air pollutants.

The state of its rivers had not improved since the release of the 2003 State of the Environment Report, Mokgohloa said. Consumption of water was also high, amid the spectre of a near dry-out in Gauteng by 2014.

“At the rate of water consumption we will not be able to distribute water. We must also ensure that our rivers are kept clean.” In one response to the state of the environment, in 2007 the City embarked on a drive to plant 200 000 trees. Businesses have also become part of the crusade. Mokgohloa said that by December, they would have achieved their target.

“That is part of greening, where we say to people as much as we are losing vital environmental open space, we can replace some green area.”

The release of the report coincided with the official opening of Alexandra’s Tsogang Buy-back Centre. The first of its kind in Alexandra, it is aimed at helping to improve the environment in the township.

Residents are encouraged to collect their recyclable waste and sell it to the centre. The establishment of the centre was set in motion by the Tsogang Community Organisation, an NGO in Alexandra. It is expected to create jobs in the long run.

“Our aim is to promote a clean environment in Alexandra. We also want to reduce crime and to instil a sense of pride in our community,” said Tsogang’s programme manager, Mabel Dikobe.

The idea of starting a buy-back recycling centre in the township was inspired by community members who approached her in 2007. “I contacted all councillors in Alex about the project … We had a vision and we wanted to take it forward.”

Dikobe was proud that the centre had become “an adult, a full-blown project”. It has been operating since March.

The Development Bank of Southern Africa donated R700 000 to the centre; its divisional executive, Bethuel Netshiswinzhe, explained that the Tsogang Community Organisation had approached the bank for help in 2007. This had prompted it to assess the centre’s viability.

"We saw fit to support the project. We believe that the purpose of the project should be to create jobs and maintain a clean environment in Alexandra."

Other donations came from the owners of the township's new Pick n Pay, who gave R5 000 to the centre. "When we opened the store we took a commitment to journey with this group. We looked at their work and we concluded that we would like to be part of the project," said the supermarket's co-owner, Tshepo Ndlovu.

Mokgohloa said initiatives such as the centre helped to rehabilitate the environment. "We are starting to say we can divert recyclable waste to buy-back centres. Waste management in the city remains a big issue."

Source: Joburg
www.joburg.org.za