Legislation
The Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act 45 of 1965 is the primary mechanism in South Africa for the management and control of air pollution. It controls noxious and offensive processes, smoke, dust and emissions from motor vehicles. The burning of refuse in the City of Durban (part of the Durban Metropolitan Area) is also controlled by the Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act (part III), under the smoke control measures legislated in the Act. The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism is currently in the process of revising the Act. Any amendments to the Act will have to be applied in the Durban Metropolitan Area (DMA). At a local government level, bylaws (applicable only to the City of Durban) enable the City Medical Officer of Health to control the activities of scheduled trades. The Local Authorities Ordinance enables the City Medical Officer to prosecute when a nuisance, including air pollution, is being created.

South African Air Quality Guidelines
A set of air quality guidelines, which identify the maximum allowable concentrations of air pollutants in the air, have been developed by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. These assist in the application of legislation to air pollution issues. The current revision of the Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act may result in the South African air quality guidelines being revised. At present, however, the old guidelines apply.

Air Quality Monitoring Programme
In March 1997, the Pollution Division of Durban Metro Water Services commissioned an air quality study. This consisted of two distinct phases. The first phase involved the compilation of an emission inventory. This required the spatial estimation of air emissions from sources such as motor vehicles, industrial processes and natural sources. Secondly, a broad sweep air monitoring program was carried out. This is being used to verify the emissions inventory results and identify areas where air quality indicators are of concern. This information will be used to evaluate new construction and modification applications from proposed and existing industrial facilities. The study is nearing completion and a report of findings is being compiled. Read more about the Development of a Screening Technique to Monitor Air Quality Indicators in Durban.

South Durban Sulphur Dioxide Management System
As a result of concerns about air quality in the Durban South Basin, the South Durban Sulphur Dioxide Steering Committee was formed. It consists of representatives from industry, local and national authorities, professional consultants and the local Durban South Basin community. The Committee has implemented several initiatives to reduce air pollution including encouraging oil refineries to burn cleaner fuels during winter, encouraging industries to use electric fired boilers and reaching agreements with non-industrial sources of air pollution to minimise burning and emissions when calm weather conditions prevail.

Durban South Basin Strategic Environmental Assessment
This was commissioned to address the environmental implications of current development in the Durban South Basin and to provide guidelines for future development. Air quality was one of the key issues investigated as part of the project. A number of general strategies have been developed for improving the existing situation in the Durban South Basin and promoting/managing development in the area.

National Motor Vehicle Emissions Project
The objective of this initiative of the Department of Mineral and Energy Affairs and the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism is to quantify the impact of vehicle emissions on air quality in the various metropolitan areas of South Africa. It is also intended to formulate optimum legislation to reduce this impact, through the control of gaseous emissions from vehicles through the enforcement of catalytic convertors and fuel quality improvements where found to be necessary. Locally, no responsive action has been taken to deal with vehicle emissions as there is some debate as to whose responsible for regulation at the local level.

Dust Monitoring Committees
Various permitting authorities such as the Department of Minerals and Energy, Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and the City Health Department stipulate control technology requirements for dust generating industrial and mining processes. Regulation is usually enforced as a result of specific nuisance and health related complaints. Co-operation agreements have been reached, and committees formed, between various industrial dust generating sources, controlling authorities, and community representatives in Durban. Two large quarrying and cement processes in Durban have introduced initiatives to minimise dust emissions (truck underwashing, blasting only in certain wind directions, road wetting etc.) to the extent that long term dust fallout trends are decreasing in specific areas. Nuisance and inhalable dust is surveyed to evaluate trends, identify problem areas and to measure the success of various dust control strategies.

Durban Metropolitan Environmental Policy Initiative
The Metropolitan Environmental Policy contains an objective, policy statements and possible implementation strategies to address air pollution in the city.