• The responsibility for controlling the impact of mining operations on the environment (and dust pollution in terms of the Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act) is vested with the Government Mining Engineer of the Department of Minerals and Energy.

• The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry controls standards for mine-dump leaching that may enter rivers and streams or underground aquifers.
• The Council for Nuclear Safety sets standards and issues licenses or clearance permits for mining land, relating to all ionizing issues, such as nuclear contamination of land or materials, and release of radon gas from mining land with artificially increased levels due to mining operations.

Vision of Metropolitan Local Councils (MLCs) according to the Land Development Objectives (LDOs)

• The Western MLC has considered taking on the responsibility for dealing with the mine dust pollution problem by suggesting the following attempts:

• Involving all interested and affected mining companies responsible for the dumps in finding and implementing solutions related to mining problems in the area.
• Entering into discussions and actions with the Department of Minerals and Energy, on how the State together with the mining companies should accept responsibility.
• All mining companies are required to prepare and implement Environmental Management Programmes (EMP’s which must be legally binding) and which should also set out specific plans for managing the environmental impacts of their operations and possible rehabilitation thereof. In cases where mining companies fail to comply with EMP standards, the Department of Minerals and Energy should take enforcement measures.

• The Council for Nuclear Safety specifies applicable standards or guidelines on ionizing radiation (mining). The CNS is mandated in terms of legislation to control all nuclear issues in the country. Local authorities therefore need to play a consultative role as interested and affected parties, especially from a planning perspective when issuing nuclear licenses in terms of the regulations on "The Location of Dangerous Substances".
• In the Southern MLC, the Cleansing Department is consulted on the disposal of hazardous substances and Disaster Management is involved in dealing with emergency situations.

• The Metropolitan Council is required to determine a waste disposal strategy; identify waste disposal sites; establish, operate and control waste disposal sites and bulk waste transfer facilities.

• Metropolitan Local Councils are responsible for the disposal of waste.

• To promote the prevention of waste production.
• To promote waste minimization and recycling.
• To increase recycling.
• Work with communities to formulate acceptable and uniform policy.
• Minimize waste generation pollution at source.
• Increase public awareness and participation in environmental management.
• Implement educational programmes.
• Promote the adoption of the principles of environmental stewardship by business & industry.
• Reducing heavy metals and other toxic pollutants potentially present in sewage sludge.
• Shared treatment plants for detoxification or economic recovery of valuable metals from the waste from metals finishing process.
• Separation at source of key toxic or recyclable materials.
• Environmentally friendly recovery of organic liquids & other waste materials.
• Destruction of hazardous organic waste materials that persist in the environment and accumulate in food chains.
• Formulating alternatives for the co-disposal of hazardous waste
• Establishing structures to predict changes in waste generation patterns and to recover useful waste.

• High profile environmental education campaigns are being introduced e.g. waste prevention, waste minimization, waste separation, and recycling and appropriate litter disposal.

• Inadequately designed and constructed toilets or a lack of toilets may lead to the deposition of faecal matter on the ground, or in rivers and places where food is grown.
• The constitution provides for local government to provide water and sanitation services (potable water and disposal systems).
• The consolidated municipal infrastructure programme (CMIP) focuses on internal bulk and connector water, roads and stormwater drainage, solid waste disposal and public lighting services. It provides grant funding for new infrastructure, as well as for the upgrading and rehabilitation of existing internal bulk and connector infrastructure, to urban as well as dense and dispersed rural areas.
• The closer alignment of grant funding under the consolidated MIP will help municipalities to build and manage sustainable infrastructure systems.
• The community water supply and sanitation programme aims to ensure that all South Africans have access to an adequate water supply and safe sanitation facility.

CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT

Urban management can be used as a response to land pollution through:

• The enforcement of appropriate procedures and by-laws.
• The prevention of residential invasion of industrial sites.

• The present focus is on waste management regulation of landfill disposal, with no regulations to deal with aspects such as the generation, treatment and transportation of waste.
• Poor standards of servicing and facilities lead to non-payment for services, which makes it difficult to offer services without a means to recover costs.
• The single most important factor is the lack of enforcement of waste management and pollution control.
• Waste management must increase to meet present and future needs with nothing currently being done in this regard.
• There is a need for a comprehensive waste education programme focussing on waste minimization, appropriate use of services as well as prevention of illegal dumping and littering

• Personnel and skills shortages
• Effective enforcement :
• inspectors to undertake field investigations and monitoring
• scientists and technicians to analyse samples to determine the presence of pollutants or non compliance to standards
• lawyers to prepare cases of non compliance for prosecution

STILL TO BE ADDED INTO THE REPORT

• Legislative framework
• Institutional Capacity
• Current status of joint projects at national, provincial and international levels
• Cross analysis of socio-economic issues that impact on land pollution
• Land pollution projections

RECOMMENDATIONS WITH REGARD TO THE JOHANNESBURG INNER CITY