BY STAFF REPORTER
South African Green Revolutionary Council (SAGRC), has raised concerns about high death rate in Highveld area which is still plagued by dirty air.
The Highveld area is home to coal burning power stations, mines and industries.
However a report published by Centre for Environmental Rights with its allies, the groundWork Rights and Highveld Environmental Justice Network in October 2017 after assessing the Highveld Priority Area (HPA) revealed that high levels of pollution were responsible for more than 22000 deaths per year because of chronic, respiratory and heart diseases.
As a result environmental activists said it was worrying that the quality of air in Highveld was still the same 14 years after the area was declared a disaster.
Chairperson of eMalahleni based SAGRC Matthews Hlabane said this was detrimental to the lives of people living in the area.
“There are increased coal mining operations in this area with most producing dust day and night. Unfortunately there is no attempt to reduce the dust levels which has led to high death rates,” Hlabane said.
Hlabane said in 2007 the then minister of Environmental Affairs declared the 31000 square kilometer area a priority because of the toxicity of the air and its impact on the people.
DIRTY AIR FROM COAL FIRED POWERSTATIONS A DANGER FOR RESIDENTS OF HIGHVELD
