Analysing the communication strategy of Emalahleni local municipality for information dissemination on air quality improvement

Abstract

This study aimed to analyse the communication strategy that Emalahleni Local Municipality (ELM) is using to raise awareness on air quality improvement. Analysing the communication strategy of an organisation can play an important role in determining the strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats of an organisation’s strategy to communicate and achieve its goals. Emalahleni, a town in the Highveld of Mpumalanga South Africa was identified as a national air pollution “hotspot” in terms of the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (AQA) (39 of 2004). In response to the AQA, Emalahleni Local Municipality (ELM) has been embarking on different air quality management measures including air quality awareness and educational programs to ensure that the residents are acquainted with ways of maintaining air quality and to bring the area in compliance with the national ambient air quality standards. Few studies have been published on communicating air quality management in South Africa and across the world. Amongst them, few have focused on the comprehensive analysis of communication strategies used by an organisation for community awareness on air quality improvement. The research was anchored on the diffusion of innovation theory and AA1000 Accountability theory. This is because diffusion of innovation is concerned with communicating new ideas and practices through a social system while the Accountability theory focuses on developing an accountable approach to sustainability which is what this study emphasises. Exploratory sequential mixed methods were used through semi-structured interviews with the officials from the environmental and waste management department and communication department of ELM. Items for the questionnaires were identified and further tested quantitatively in the second phase with the community members through an online survey. The qualitative data findings were confirmed with those of the quantitative approach. The study found that community members of Emalahleni are aware of the air quality improvement program and how to maintain air quality. Although, they are aware of this, their behaviour towards maintain air quality standards does not change for the better. Participants outlined that radio and social media were used for information dissemination while respondents postulated that radio, door to door, newspaper, social media, and community meetings were used to raise awareness of air quality in ELM. The most preferred channels as indicated by the participants were radio and social media, but the respondents outlined that radio, social media and community meetings were their most preferred channels.

The study recommends that different communication strategies both the ones preferred by the residents and the ones identified from the literature as capable of transmitting and raising awareness on air quality must be used by ELM for air quality information dissemination. The study further recommends that appropriate communication interventions evaluation is required by ELM to properly ascertain its communication intervention success. This study also recommends that the organisation and other organisations that would like to embark on a similar program should focus on communication interventions for promoting sustainable behaviour change that can lead the public to maintain air quality as it was mentioned that exposing residents to awareness messages does not lead them to maintaining air quality