Image: Reuters
[File photo] Smoke and steam billows from Belchatow Power Station, Europe’s largest coal-fired power plant operated by PGE Group, near Belchatow, Poland November 28, 2018.Communities in Mpumalanga have told Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and Environment during the climate change public hearings held in Mbombela that the government has a duty to support municipalities to have strong by-laws in place.
They say municipalities as local spheres of government will be able to hold those polluting the environment accountable.
Climate change has a negative impact and it directly affects communities as a result of gas and smoke coming from the industries surrounding towns.
A community member, Mzwandile Khoza, who attended the public hearings, says such dialogues are important.
“It does affect us as South Africans the entire world but I think such initiatives are very key because they address some of the most fundamental issues in terms of how we going to approach this thing, dig into to try to find possible solutions making sure that we address this matter. Because if we don’t, in due time, we will be in very crisis than what we have right now.”
Meanwhile, Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and Environment acting chairperson, Nqabisa Gantsho says the discussions and the inputs they gathered from the people regarding climate change will be forwarded to the parliament for further engagements before the bill is handed to President Cyril Ramaphosa to sign it off.
“Before we finalise this bill and the issue of this bill, we want this bill to talk exactly to the challenges that our people are facing – the issue of climate change and its impacts directly to them. They understand the issues of floods, and droughts, it impacts directly on them.”
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