• Air pollution in GJ differs according to area. In poor residential areas like Soweto, Westbury, Riverlea, Eldorado Park, Orange farm and Alexandra, coal and wood burning for space heating and cooking is the major source of smoke and SO₂ pollution. In urban areas around the CBD and higher income areas such as Sandton, Randburg, Melville and Southgate, lead from vehicle emissions and dust from mines cause pollution. In the inner city, SO₂ and O₃ levels are especially high in winter. In urban areas and the inner city, TSP (Total suspended particle) levels are also high due to exhaust emissions and resuspended dust from vehicles. All pollution levels rise in the winter due to pollutants from vehicle emissions, coal fires, industries and mining areas being trapped close to the surface by temperature inversion layers. Circulation patterns over South Africa in the winter also do not disperse pollutants in a wavelike fashion as in summer.
• The worst affected area is around the JHB CBD, which includes the industrial areas from Denver in the east to Industrial North and West in the west. These industries also lie mostly along the main rail commuter ways, which increases pollution due to vehicle emissions. Traffic also converges in the CBD from the rest of GJ during daytime. Morning and afternoon pollution levels along major roads coming in and going out of the CBD are thus bad, with high primary (NO, CO and hydrocarbons) and secondary (ozone and NO₂) pollutant levels.
• Pollution in the CBD is further affected by wind blown dust from the mining belt, which increases TSP levels.
• To the south of the CBD through to Southgate, pollution comes mainly from the mining belt, as well as big industrial areas such as City Deep, Booysens, Electron, Tulisa Park and Aeroton.
• Air quality in the whole area surrounding Soweto is bad, where excessive amounts of coal is being burned. The worst affected areas are Diepkloof, northwest of Soweto, the whole area from Devland to Nancefield southeast of Soweto, where industries and informal settlements play a role, and the informal settlements from Klipspruit to Protea South.
• In the formal residential areas of Lenasia and Ennerdale, and the informal settlements of Zakariyya Park, Vlakfontein, Elandsfontein and Lawley, pollution comes mainly from dust from untarred roads, rubbish and coal burning, and light industries. The worst areas are the informal settlements of Zakariyya Park, Thembelihle, Vlakfontein and Hospital Hill south of Lenasia, where excessive coal burning takes place.
• In the south of the WMLC (north of Soweto) dust from gravel and mine dumps (especially Doornkop) roads, and smoke and CO from coal burning pollutes the air. West of Roodepoort the Roodepoort West industrial area, CBD activities, dust from mine dumps, and excessive coal burning in informal settlements contribute to bad air pollution.
• Problem areas exist in the Randburg and Sandton CBD’s mostly due to vehicle emissions, light industries and commercial activities. The Wynberg/Kew industrial area west of Alexandra causes pollution as well as the informal settlements in the area, where moderate to excessive amounts of coal is used, and increases SO₂ levels especially in the winter months.

Water Quality
Surface water running through the Eastern Metropolitan Local Council (affecting the Jukskei River), especially in the vicinity of Alexandra, shows:

• evidence of sewage pollution:
• high E.coli
• low pH values (indicating acidity or alkalinity)
• high electrical conductivity
• varied ammonia and COD levels and
• varied phosphate, sulphate and nitrate levels

The water quality of the Klip River Catchment in Greater Soweto (Southern Metropolitan Local Council) shows:

• evidence of mining pollution:

• low pH values,
• high electrical conductivity,
• high sulphate values; and

• contamination from raw sewage (as a result of sewer blockages which occur from time to time)

• The worst problem area is the whole zone around the JHB CBD, which affects both the Jukskei and Klip River Catchments. The area includes the big industrial area from Industria West, Amalgan, Selby and Droste, eastwards to Benrose, Denver and Heriotdale. Except from bad pH and copper levels from industrial effluent, high bacterial contents are also found due to informal settlements or blocked sewers, especially to the north, which is very densely populated.
• To the south of the CBD, the Klip River is badly polluted due to the Witwatersrand mining area (mainly gold mines and slimes dams), and industrial areas like City Deep, Rocherville and Booysens.
• Other badly polluted areas in the Klip River Catchment are south east of Soweto, where the Devland industrial area, a few sewage works and a lot of informal settlement are located. Bacterial content and industrial effluent levels are both bad here.
• Pollution in the Klip River is also bad south of Roodepoort due to the mining area. Lots of slimes dams, a chrome/nickel refinery and other industries are driving forces in the area.
• The Jukskei River is affected south and north of Randburg, where urban/ residential runoff, blocked sewers and industries play a role.
• Lastly the densely populated area east of Sandton through to Alexandra has a bad impact on the Jukskei River. A lot of informal settlements with bad sanitation services, as well as the Wynberg/Kew industrial area exert the main pressures.

• GJ’s urban areas derive its vibrancy and spontaneity from modern and technologically advanced equipment and instruments. Neon disco lights, blarring motor vehicles, heavy loaded trucks and industrial machinery increases the general level of noise in the city. Night clubs, sewage works and increased vehicles and industries are aggrevating the problem.
• The worst affected areas are around the CBD, especially to the north, where a large amount of national and major roads are situated, with little open space between them. Distances from the roads as noise pollutants never exceed 1km, so that noise levels are always high in this area.
• The big industrial zone south and surrounding the CBD is a big source of noise, together with other industries to the south, such as Electron, Tulisa Park, Booysens and Aeroton near Southgate.
• North and northeast of Soweto the Devland industrial area, Orlando Power station and vehicles are the main sources of noise pollution.
• Vehicular noise from Lenasia, Ennerdale and Orange Farm in the south of GJ, is much lower than in the CBD and north of Jhb, but along the main roads, bus and taxi routes, noise is still high.
• From the south of Roodepoort a large industrial area stretches right through to the south of Jhb, and the whole zone, together with the mining activities taking place here, emmits noise.
• In the west, except for vehicle noise from roads, the Roodepoort West Industrial area is a source of noise pollution.
• In the north of the NMLC the Lanceria Airport is a source of noise, although not many people live in the vacinity. The N14 national road also emmits noise.
• Lastly the Wynberg/Kew industrial area west of Alexandra is a big source of noise. Together with the roads, bus and taxi routes from Alexandra to Jhb, this activity node has a lot of noise pollution.

• Overcrowding in Greater Johannesburg causes exploitation of the land beyond its capacity, which leads to land pollution. This exceeds the capacity of sewer systems and landfill sites. Sewage problems mainly exist in large parts of Alexandra and Soweto townships. South and southwest of Jhb, dust pollution from mine dumps, are the main sources of land degradation, whiles the CBD experiences continuous overflowing of sewers, especially in Hillbrow, New Town and Jeppestown. All these activities reduce the quality of the land. The main sources of land pollution were identified as informal settlements, waste disposal sites, mining activities and activities in CBD’s.
• In the southern most part of Greater Johannesburg illegal dumping takes place at the corner of the R553 and R551, near Palm Springs west of Orange Farm.
• Some settlements around Ennerdale and Lenasia also have inadequate refuse removal services, and together with illegal dumping this leads to land pollution.
• In the Freedom Park, Bushkoppies area, southeast of Soweto, as well as the central and northern parts of Soweto, illegal dumping, litter, poor location of rubbish bins in relation to waste, and irregular services seem to be the main causes of land pollution.
• To the west of Soweto towards the Doornkop settlement, except for refuse problems, old petrol station and informal industries like scrap yards add to land degradation.
• Informal and illegal settlements in the Johannesburg CBD area pose big land pollution problems due to irregular refuse removal, litter, illegal dumping, and overuse/overflow of sewers.
• West of Roodepoort in the Davidsonville area, lack of regular refuse removal, high levels of refuse, littering and broken sewage pipes pollute the land.
• Settlements in Alexandra show high litter levels (paper, glass, bottles and vegetable matter), bad waste management, bad sanitation services and a bad sewage system, which all lead to land pollution.

Waste disposal sites

Six major landfill sites exist in Greater Johannesburg (from the north to the south):

• Kya-Sands (north of Randburg)
• Linbro Park (north of Alexandra)
• Robinson Deep (between Roodepoort and Soweto)
• Marie Louise (south of the Jhb CBD)
• Goudkoppies (southeast of Soweto)
• Ennerdale (west of Ennerdale)

• The biggest areas of dust/land pollution from mines occur south of and near to the Johannesburg CBD, and along the whole mining belt that stretches from the south of Denver, south-east of Johannesburg, right through to the south of Roodepoort. Land degradation here occurs in the form of slimes dams, excavations and bare mine dumps and stretches of land, where soil erosion and bad soil quality are the major problems.

• In the west, portions of Doornkop, Durban Roodepoort Deep and areas in the northern periphery of the Main reef Road, are currently subjected to underground mining.

• Human activities in the Johannesburg CBD reduce the quality of the land, which has taken the form of:

  • illegal dumping of waste,

  • large amounts of solid waste production and littering by the many informal traders and businesses in the area,

  • non-maintained sewage pipes, and

  • the excessive amounts of refuse to be treated due to overcrowding.

Continuous overflowing of sewers, especially in the rainy season, occurs mainly in Hillbrow, New Town and Jeppestown. Illegal and informal settlements and the increasing amount of informal traders on the streets due to population growth and increased poverty, only worsen these major driving forces. Commercial and industrial activities in the CBD also increase land pollution in the city and surroundings.

• The great north/south contrast of Greater Johannesburg still exists. While there are many attempts being made to develop the south, few address the problem of creating sufficient, quality parks and recreational spaces. Government is also not able to maintain these facilities to the required standard, because the creation and maintenance of these facilities are not a top priority.
• The SMSS contains the most significant parks in the Johannesburg CBD, with a backlog mostly in Soweto and Orange Farm (SMLC: LDO, 1997). Parks in all townships in the SMSS are non-existent or generally poorly maintained. Approximately 2,87ha of parkland per 1000 people are proposed for the SMSS, and currently there is a definite lack of open space especially in the Jhb CBD.
• The areas of the east have many natural pans and lakes, while the west has many ridges, which allow for natural parks to be created. These areas have great potential, together with the other natural features of GJ, which need to be preserved and conserved. These areas are however not as "leavy" as the north, and lack in the provision of parks and recreational space.

Open Space

• The available open spaces show a relatively bad situation over the whole of GJ. In the far north a combination of rural open space and unutilised land can be seen, with small patches of degraded land. The whole Randburg, Roodepoort, Sandton and Alexandra areas are built up, with little open space and parks. West of Randburg a dam and cemetery provide open space, together with a few areas of degraded land to the east. North, northeast and northwest of the Jhb CBD open space in the form of cemeteries, recreation/sports facilities and institutional enclosures are found. To the south of the CBD as well as in Soweto large areas of unutilised land can be found. To the east of Soweto large patches of degraded land can be seen next to the cultivated land, while some cemeteries can be seen to the west of the town. South of Lenasia cultivated land can be found. Most of GJ is built up and there is definitely a lack of open space in the whole urban dominated environment.
• There are currently many pieces of unused land in the GJ area that has a lot of potential in an environmental as well as a development sense.

Air pollution is the transfer of harmful amounts of natural and synthetic materials into the atmosphere as a direct or indirect action of human activity.

• Water pollution

The dense population, along with the growing industry, impacts negatively on the Quality of the water, and consequently, the jukskei is probably one of the worst preserved rivers in south africa

• Land pollution

Overcrowding in greater johannesburg causes exploitation of the land beyond its capacity, which leads to land pollution.

• Noise pollution

Noise is becoming an important concern for communities in the greater johannesburg area due to its great degree of urbanity.

• Housing provision

The demand for housing is increasing, but much of it takes the form of meeting the needs of people who cannot afford and do not want to spend much on housing (as they send money home). Most people do not qualify for subsidies (illegal immigrants or legal migrant from outside south africa) or do not want to take up their subsidy in johannesburg as they intend to settle elsewhere (labour migrants).

• Service delivery