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Press advisory
14 January 2002
groundWork and the international Global Community Monitor
to work with Southern African communities to develop community based air
pollution monitoring systems
Local NGO groundWork
and two US-based NGOs - the Global Community Monitor and the South
African Exchange programme on Environmental Justice - are joining forces
to work with community based organisations in Southern Africa to develop
community based air monitoring systems. This is in order that communities
throughout Southern Africa can challenge and work with government and
industry to improve air quality in their neighbourhoods.
From January 19th
to February 15th groundWork and GCM will host a series
of community workshops in Durban, Sasolburg, Secunda and Cape Town in
South Africa, and Swaziland and Mozambique to develop community
based monitoring systems. These monitoring systems will use the
simple, community-based “bucket brigade” method of taking air samples.
The “bucket brigade” method of air sampling was first introduced into
South Africa by groundWork in May 2000.
“This new expansion of community
right to know throughout Southern Africa is in direct response to the
failure of industry and governments to monitor and clean up toxic pollution
that trespasses into fence-line communities,” said Ardiel Soeker, groundWork’s
Air Quality Coordinator. “The new Bucket Brigade effort will be
reaching thousands of families for the first time so that they can demand
clean air.”
“The success of the South
Africa Bucket Brigade has increased the demand for community air monitoring
around the globe,” said Denny Larson of GCM. “Now communities in
the developing world want to know what they are breathing and how to get
corporations to clean up their act.”
This is part of the three-year
groundWork programme that seeks to assist community organisations
in Southern Africa who are fighting industrial pollution in their neighbourhoods.
Outside of SA, groundWork will be working with Yonge Nawe in Swaziland
and Livaningo in Mozambique. Locally, groundWork will be working
with SDCEA (South Durban), the Tableview Residents’ Association (Cape
Town) and the Sasolburg Environmental Committee.
“This partnership between community
based, national and international based organisations provides a modus
operandi for assisting community based organisations to hold big multi-national
industry accountable for their actions in Southern Africa,” says Ardiel
Soeker,
For more information contact:
Ardiel Soeker (groundWork): 021-761 8669
Bobby Peek (groundWork) 082 464 1383
Denny Larson (GCM): 091 - 415 - 845 4705 or dennylarson@earthlink.net
Anabela Lemos (Livaningo, Mozambique): 09258 – 491994 or livaningo@fmp.org.mz
Thuli Makama (Yonge Nawe, Swaziland): 09268- 404 1394 or yonawe@realnet.co.sz
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