[3][4] Due to the heavy industries in and around the Vaal Triangle it has become infamous for its air pollution and respiratory disease.
According to an analysis by OpenAQ, the area regularly registers the highest concentration of PM2.5 particulate pollution worldwide.
Nearby is the Vaal Dam, from which the massive PWV megalopolis (Pretoria, Witwatersrand and Vereeniging) draws its water.
The Witwatersrand is the name given to the area that comprises the Greater Johannesburg metropole and the gold-bearing reef along which gold was discovered in 1886.
The Vaal Dam is well-patronised by people from Johannesburg over the weekends and during holidays, as it provides extensive water recreation facilities some 70 km south of the city.