Wednesday 12 February 2014 - 3:21pm
A map showing Eskom s non-compliant coal-fired power stations
JOHANNESBURG - South Africans living in Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga could suffer long-term respiratory health illnesses if Eskom wins a bid to be exempted from air quality laws, activists say.
Eskom is planning to submit applications to the department of environmental affairs to postpone the deadline for which they need to comply with minimum emission standards in the Naitonal Environmental Management Air Quality Act of 2004.
The Centre for Environmental Rights has drafted a legal objection to Eskom’s request on behalf of a number of environmental groups.
The legal objections are on the grounds that Eskom does not meet the requirements for a postponement as set out in air quality act, the 2012 National Framework for Air Quality Management in the Republic of South Africa (Framework), and the Atmospheric Impact Report Regulations.