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No standards exist for the prevention of land pollution, which can be used to determine the pressure of land pollution. However the key causal factors are the exploitation of land (overcrowding) beyond its capacity, together with the inability to increase the sewer capacity and degradation of the sewer system. This gives cause for concern in large parts of Alexandra and Soweto, which appears to have suffered complete breakdown. The lack of maintenance or upgrading / expansion of the service infrastructure and the mushrooming of squatter and informal settlements without formal services in these areas exacerbates the already dismal situation of soil pollution. Inadequate service delivery coupled with poverty and overcrowding often result in the breakdown of services which result in overflowing and broken sewerage pipes, illegal dumping and blockage of systems. With the high percentage of communities who do not have access to adequate sanitation, high levels of land pollution occur.
TABLE 3 : SANITATION SERVICE AVAILABLE BY TYPE OF DWELLING PERCENTAGE: GAUTENG, 1994
Source: Provincial Statistics, 1994 General pressures can be highlighted in the form of:
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