Department of Social Development and Community Services

1. Department of Social Development and Community Services The department consist of 28 staff members with Manager,Divisional Manager Municipal Health Services(MHS),Air Quality Officer,Secretary to the Manager,six Heads(MHS) and eighteen Environmental Health Practitioners

2. Core business Municipal Health Services(MHS)(the management of all physical,chemical and biological factors,which impact on persons’development,health and survival) MHS-its aim is to protect,preserve and enhance the public health and safety and the environment through the delivery of effective environmental health inspections,consultation and education,lawenforcement,monitoring and oversight services to the hospitals internal and external clients.These services include the following

3. Water quality monitoring Water sampling Implementing health,hygiene and education campaigns that relate to water supply and sanitation

4. Food control Food safety and hygiene monitoring Food inspection at production,storage,distribution and consumption Promote safe handling,storage and preparation of meat and meat product and foodstuff Food sampling Ensures that food outlets that comply with minimum health requirement as per health regulations get or acquire certificate of acceptability

5. Waste management Even though District municipalities function is limited to disposal and monitoring of waste disposal at landfill site in terms of the waste act we should also Ensure safe and proper generation,collection,storage,handling and disposal of waste by local municipalities and community at large Prevention and monitoring of illegal dumping Monitoring and give support to local municipality

6. Surveilance of premises Environmental health impact assessment including housing projects and indoor air quality Scrutinisation of building plans with regard to minimum health requirements

7. Environmental pollution control Prevention of pollution of natural resources(land,river,air pollution etc)through health education Identification of polluting agents and their sources

8. Surveilance,control and prevention of communicable diseases Prevention of occurrence of disease outbreaks through continuos health and hygiene education

9. Disposal of the deads Continuous monitoring through inspections of funeral undertakers,motuaries and parlor Ensures that funeral undertakers,motuaries and parlors which comply to the minimum health requirements get or acquire certificates of competence

10. Chemical safety Ensures that spilage of chemicals especially during transportation is avoided Ensure proper packaging ,storage and handling of chemicals

11. Air quality management Identification,monitoring and control of air pollution sources,through inspections of listed activities and issuing of atmospheric emissions license to the premises with listed activities Ensuring that public are not exposed to detrimental air pollutants by monitoring premises with listed activities and ensure that such premises adhere to conditions stipulated by atmospheric emissions license Minimization of impact of Air Quality pollutants by public awareness campaigns

12. Challenges Limited kilometer s and budget for Environmental Health Practitioners and Air Quality Officer to execute their duties Staff shortage due to limited budget and very slow recruitment process Other staff members don’t qualify for fixed car allowance even though their positions are car allowance bearing positions and council vehicles not provided for them which make it difficult or impossible to execute their duties Communication equipments limited to most staff members within the district Don’t have own offices

13. Achievements Air Quality unit established Air Quality management plan in place Devolvement of Municipal Health Services/function Integrated waste management plan developed and on process of annual review Environmental management plan developed and currently on process of annual review Municipal health strategic plan developed

14. Projects or Plans for 2010/11 • MHS information software • Development of landfill site • Air quality emission inventory • Review integrated waste management and environmental management plans • Training of green scorpions • Arbor education and promotion • Working for water education and promotion • Municipal health strategic plan

15. Reports,awareness and events • Celebrated world environment day through community building capacity and tree planting through greening municipality at Lephalale local municipality,thabombeki settlement on the 5th of June 2010 • Celebrated arbor day through community building capacity at Ham no.1 at Mogalakwena local municipality on the 29th of September 2010,and at Thabazimbi local municipality on the 15 September 2010 • Clean up campaign at Mogalakwena municipality on the 29th of July 2010 • Chicken pox outbreak at Thabazimbi,which was well managed and curbed in five days • Twenty five MHS volunteers assisted in monitoring ,inspections and evaluation of vendors at Lephalale public viewing area during FIFA world cup