Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has officially requested public comment on the proposed amendments to the 2007 National Framework for Air Quality Management in South Africa.
The National Framework provided a medium-to-long-term plan for the practical implementation of the Air Quality Act and provided mechanisms, systems and procedures to promote holistic and integrated air quality management through pollution prevention and minimisation at source.
The process of reviewing and revising the framework was initiated in January 2012, in accordance with original specifications that, after a period of five years, the initial framework would be revised and amended or a new national framework published.
The review took the form of an inclusive consultation process involving various consultations with air quality specialists, air quality officials, stakeholders and the general public.
Based on relevance and legal considerations, the recommendations received from all consultations were reviewed and incorporated into the draft National Framework published for public comment.
“The National Framework was regarded as a milestone in government’s attempts to introduce a new efficient and effective air quality management regime in South Africa and had resulted in achievements in air quality management,” the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) said in a statement on Friday.
The draft 2012 National Framework included all beneficial aspects and lessons learned during the implementation of the 2007 framework, all recommendations generated over the previous five years through the yearly National Air Quality Officer’s reports and all inputs and recommendations from stakeholder consultations.
Interested parties had until mid-April to submit their responses to the DEA.