Johannesburg - Air quality within the boundaries of the Ekurhuleni Metro Municipality is the worst in South Africa, National Air Quality Officer Thuli Mdluli said.
This was attributable to the fact that there were many sources of pollution, such as domestic coal burning, industry and mining, in the area, she said at media briefing in Pretoria.
Ekurhuleni falls within the Highveld Priority Area, one of three national air quality priority areas identified by the department of environmental affairs.
The other areas were the Vaal Triangle Airshed Priority Area and the Waterberg-Bojanala Priority Area.
Priority areas could be declared where ambient air quality standards are being exceeded, or where the environmental affairs minister or MEC reasonably believed this could be the case. - Sapa