The 2003 SoER for Mpumalanga describes the environment of the province through seven themes, namely:

Poverty & Vulnerability

Almost 30% of households in Mpumalanga are considered to be living in poverty and 70% of the population are considered poor. Literacy and education is also a problem, while the unemployment rate is currently 33%. There has also been a decrease in life expectancy, probably due to HIV/AIDS, and is expected  to decrease even further. There has also been an increase in diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria, while cholera and typhoid remain relatively low. In general sanitation and potable water services are somewhat basic, while many households still have no refuse removal services.

Air Quality

Numerous activities contribute to air quality from power generation, industry and mining to vehicle use and veld fires. As Mpumalanga has 8 of the 11 coal fired power stations in the country and roughly 70% of South Africa's electricity is generated in this province, this may be considered one of the main driving forces of air quality in the province. Common pollutants associated with this form of electricity generation include particulates, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides (Eskom, 2002a). The sulphur dioxide concentrations fall below, while particulate matter concentrations exceeded in some cases, the international health guideline values. In ad hoc study revealed that respiratory infections in children under 5 years of age were common in winter months and in polluted areas.

Biodiversity

Various species require urgent protection and conservation. In addition, there are a number of endangered and vulnerable species that may become critically endangered or even extinct, if not properly conserved. Three centres of endemism have been recognised in the province and one has been proposed. The level of formal protection for the centres of endemism, i.e. valuable biodiversity regions, is very low (75% of the high biodiversity areas are not formally protected). Appropriate management action that addresses habitat loss, environmental degradation and fragmentation of landscapes and their root causes, are necessary to reduce the threat of species extinction. Furthermore, there is high demand for plants for medicinal use and those species in high demand are critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable.

Waste Management

Mpumalanga contributes 9% of South Africa's general waste stream, generating the fourth highest volume of waste in the country and having the third highest per capita waste generation rate. The province also produces over 30% of all hazardous waste produced in the country, with less than 0.1% of this hazardous waste actually reaching a hazardous waste disposal site. At a provincial level, however, there is sufficient landfill airspace, although the Lowveld and escarpment regions are likely to face critical shortfalls within the near future.

Land

Mpumalanga is still dominated by vast open areas of natural land, while most converted land is under some form of cultivation. 91% of the province is considered to be affected dryland and there is a high risk for desertification, although soil loss is low, with only 13% of the province showing high or very high soil loss. More than 90% of the province is only lightly or slightly degraded and soil acidity on the whole does not seem to be a problem, although some acidification of the soil does appear to have taken place in areas afforested with commercial tree species.

Water Resources

The Olifants, Inkomati and Usutu Water Management Areas face a water deficit as their water requirements exceed available water resources, while the Upper Vaal Water Management Area has a surplus of available water. Almost half the province's water is used for irrigation. Water quality still raises concern and there has been no improvement in the water quality in the Inkomati, Olifants and Usutu areas since 1996. Furthermore, many of the water management areas contain high levels of toxic substances (including metals), which exceed water quality guidelines for irrigated and industrial use. Due to natural factors, groundwater resources in the Springbok flats Groundwater Region are considered unsuitable for domestic purposes, while this is not the case in other areas.

Environmental Management & Governance

The Mpumalanga government provides financial resources to both environmental management and environmental education functions and although financial resources have increased in recent years, capacity in environmental management has decreased over the past 2 years, while that of environmental education has increased. Evidence of private sector commitment, through the adoption of an Environmental Management System (EMS) such as ISO 14001, is evident as most large industries in the province have some kind of EMS. Consideration of the biophysical environment in Integrated development Plans (IDPs) at the local level, was somewhat weak, with a poor understanding and little or no consideration.