The Impact of Rolling Blackouts on Environmental Health in South Africa
We examined key areas where rolling blackouts affect environmental health, including water and sanitation, air quality, food safety, and socioeconomic challenges. Power outages have led to contamination of freshwater bodies with raw sewage due to resultant interruptions of wastewater treatment works. The use of generators and burning of dirty fuels during blackouts have added to outdoor and household air pollution. Rolling blackouts also expose people to unsafe food. Finally, we discuss some ways forward and the benefits of using renewable energy sources. A critical evaluation of these impacts underscores the urgent need for more sustainable energy solutions that safeguard environmental health in South Africa. https://doi.org/10.1289/JHP1090.
Authors
- Renée Street (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1983-8968)
- Caradee Y. Wright (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9608-818X)
- Nomfundo Mahlangeni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8655-2794)
- Sizwe Nkambule (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3793-3544)
- Thandi Kapwata (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2518-6764)
- Busisiwe Shezi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4999-9738)
- Natasha Naidoo
- Candice Webster (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7618-1459)
- Angela Mathee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0060-829X)
- Tracey Laban (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5799-8663)
Institutions
- South African Medical Research Council (ZA)
- University of Johannesburg (ZA)
- University of Pretoria (ZA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Health and Pollution
- Published
- 2024-12-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1289/jhp1090
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Wind and Air Flow Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.82