State of Environment Outlook Report for the Western Cape Province Air Quality February 2018 i State of Environment Outlook Report for the Western Cape Province DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Document Title and Version: Final Air Quality Chapter Client: Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs & Development Planning Project Name: State of Environment Outlook Report for the Western Cape Province 2014 - 2017 SRK Reference Number: 507350 SRK Authors: Andrea Davidson & Dhiren Naidoo SRK GIS Team: Masi Fubesi and Keagan Allan SRK Review: Christopher Dalgliesh, Sharon Jones & Jessica du Toit DEA&DP Project Team: Karen Shippey, Ronald Mukanya and Francini van Staden Acknowledgements: Western Cape Government Environmental Affairs & Development Planning: Karen Shippey, Dr Joy Leaner, Bhawoodien Parker, Lize Jennings-Boom, Sally Benson, Gavaza Mhlarhi, Portia Rululu, Claudia Frazenburg, Xenthia Smith, Jeff Jefferson, Helena Jacobs Photo Credits: Page 3 – Wikimedia Commons Page 4 – Gallo Images Page 5 – Western Cape Department of Agriculture Page 17 – Latitude Ventures Page 19 – City of Cape Town Air Quality Management Plan Page 20 – The Sunday Leader Page 23 – Cape Town Etc. Date: February 2018 i State of Environ ment Out look Repo rt for the Weste rn Cape Pro v i n ce i i TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ____________________________________________________________________ 1 2 DRIVERS AND PRESSURES ____________________________________________________________ 1 2.1 Transportation _________________________________________________________________ 2 2.2 Industrialisation ________________________________________________________________ 3 2.3 Domestic fuel burning__________________________________________________________ 4 2.4 Fires __________________________________________________________________________ 4 2.5 Agriculture, forestry and fisheries ________________________________________________ 5 2.6 Waste water treatment works __________________________________________________ 7 2.7 Mining and quarrying __________________________________________________________ 7 2.8 Waste disposal and treatment facilities _________________________________________ 7 3 STATE ______________________________________________________________________________ 8 3.1 Atmospheric pollutants ________________________________________________________ 8 3.1.1 Particulate matter ___________________________________________________________ 8 3.1.2 Oxides of nitrogen __________________________________________________________ 11 3.1.3 Sulphur dioxide _____________________________________________________________ 12 3.1.4 Greenhouse gas emissions __________________________________________________ 13 3.2 Air quality management per district ____________________________________________ 16 3.2.1 City of Cape Town _________________________________________________________ 16 3.2.2 West Coast District __________________________________________________________ 17 3.2.3 Cape Winelands District ____________________________________________________ 17 3.2.4 Overberg District ___________________________________________________________ 18 3.2.5 Eden District ________________________________________________________________ 18 3.2.6 Central Karoo District _______________________________________________________ 18 4 IMPACTS__________________________________________________________________________ 19 4.1. Climate change ______________________________________________________________ 19 4.2. Brown haze __________________________________________________________________ 19 4.3. Health effects ________________________________________________________________ 20 4.4. Impacts on biodiversity _______________________________________________________ 21 4.5. Economic effects _____________________________________________________________ 21 4.6. Transboundary pollution ______________________________________________________ 21 4.7. Stratospheric ozone depletion _________________________________________________ 22 5 RESPONSES _______________________________________________________________________ 22 5.1 Mitigation and adaptation ____________________________________________________ 22 5.2 Policy, tools and legislation ____________________________________________________ 22 5.2.1 South African air quality standards ___________________________________________ 23 5.2.2 Air quality management plans ______________________________________________ 23 5.2.3 Atmospheric emission licensing ______________________________________________ 24 5.2.4 Ambient air quality monitoring ______________________________________________ 24 5.3 Knowledge management_____________________________________________________ 25 5.3.1 Authority structures and mandates __________________________________________ 25 5.3.2 Air quality officers forums ____________________________________________________ 25 ii State of Environment Outlook Report for the Western Cape Province 5.3.3 AQMP working groups ______________________________________________________ 25 6 CONCLUSION _____________________________________________________________________ 26 7 REFERENCES ______________________________________________________________________ 30 ABLE OF FIGURES Figure 2-1: Synoptic weather patterns over Southern African summer (left) and winter (right) ____________________________________________________________________ 2 Figure 2-2: Veld fires located on CapeNature properties - 1996-2016 ____________________ 6 Figure 3-1: Location of the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations Operated in the DEA&DP Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Network ___________________________ 9 Figure 3-2: Annual average trends in Particulate Matter (PM10) concentrations (µg/m³) for 2009 – 2016 _____________________________________________________________ 10 Figure 3-3: Annual average trends in the Nitrogen dioxide (NO ₂) concentrations (µg/m³) for 2009 – 2016 ___________________________________________________________ 12 Figure 3-4: Annual average trends in the Sulphur Dioxide (SO ₂) concentrations (µg/m³) for 2009 – 2016 ______________________________________________________________ 13 Figure 3-5: Emissions by fuel type in the Western Cape ________________________________ 14 Figure 3-6: Sources of carbon emissions in the City of Cape Town ______________________ 15 Figure 3-7: Sources of carbon emissions in the West Coast District ______________________ 15 Figure 3-8: Sources of carbon emissions in the Cape Winelands District _________________ 15 Figure 3-9: Sources of carbon emissions in the Overberg District ________________________ 15 Figure 3-10: Sources of carbon emissions in the Eden District ____________________________ 16 Figure 3-11: Sources of carbon emissions in the Central Karoo District ____________________ 16 LIST OF TABLES Table 3-1: South African National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter _ 10 Table 3-2: South African Ambient Air Quality Standards for NO ₂ _______________________ 11 Table 3-3: South African Ambient Air Quality Standards for SO ₂ ________________________ 12 Table 6-1: Overview of key air quality aspects ________________________________________ 26 Table 6-2: Summary of the outlook for air quality in the Western Cape _________________ 27 ANNEXURES Annexure A Regulations promulgated in terms of NEM:AQA Annexure B Summary of policy, tools and legislation Annexure C DEA&DP Operational Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Network Other Air Quality Monitoring Stations iii State of Environ ment Out look Repo rt for the Weste rn Cape Pro v i n ce iii iii ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ACSA Airports Company South Africa AEL Atmospheric Emission Licence AQ Air Quality AQMP Air Quality Management Plan AQO Air Quality Officer As Arsenic C2H4 Ethylene C6H6 Benzene CCT City of Cape Town Cd Cadmium Cl Chlorine CO Carbon Monoxide CO 2 Carbon Dioxide CO 2e Carbon Dioxide Equivalent DEA&DP Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning DEA Department of Environmental Affairs F Fluoride GDPR Gross Domestic Product Per Region GHG Greenhouse Gas GN Government Notice GWP Global Warming Potential H2O Water H2S Hydrogen sulfide N2O Nitrous Oxide NAAQS South African National Ambient Air Quality Standards NAEIS National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory System NEM:AQA National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act 39 of 2004 NEMA National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 NO Nitric Oxide NO 2 Nitrogen Dioxide NO x Oxides of Nitrogen O3 Ozone PAH Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons Pb Lead PCB Polychlorinated biphenyl PERO Provincial Economic Review and Outlook PM 10 Particulate Matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 µm or less PM 2.5 Particulate Matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 µm or less SAAQIS South African Air Quality Information System SANBI South African National Biodiversity Institute SBIDZ Saldanha Bay Industrial Development Zone SO 2 Sulphur Dioxide SO x Oxides of Sulphur SoEOR State of Environment Outlook Report iv State of Environ ment Out look Repo rt for the Weste rn Cape Pro vince SRK SRK Consulting (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd. StatsSA CS Statistics South Africa Community Survey USEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency VOC Volatile Organic Compounds WCG Western Cape Government WHO World Health Organisation WWTW Waste Water Treatment Works µg/m³ Micrograms per cubic meter State of Environment Outlook Report for the Western Cape Province v GLOSSARY Aerosols Liquid or solid particles small enough to become airborne. Ambient air All air outside buildings, stacks, and exterior ducts. Atmosphere The thin layer of gases surrounding