Environmental activists have filed papers, claiming the government is losing the war on pollution. They claim the government has done almost nothing to curb pollution from coal-fired power stations.
The Centre for Environmental Rights said at least hundreds of people die prematurely in South Africa, particularly in Mpumalanga, as a result of air pollution.
GroundWork and the Vukani Environmental Justice Movement in Action say the government has violated the constitutional right to a healthy environment.
Mpumalanga is home to 12 coal-fired power plants run by Eskom.
Papers were served on Friday to President Cyril Ramaphosa, the national air quality controller and the environmental minister, and they have 15 days to respond to the application, the NGOs’ lawyer Robyn Hugo said.
According to an independent survey cited by the two NGOs, the 12 Eskom sites plus two others are responsible for the bulk of air pollution which caused between 305 and 650 premature deaths in the province in 2016.
Timothy Lloyd, from the Centre for Environmental Rights, says the deadly air demands Ramaphosa’s attention.
Lloyd said the ministry with the primary mandate to correct the problem is the Department of Environmental Affairs but as one of the mandates of the Presidency is to provide an oversight role, the president is also liable.
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Source: eNCA
