[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] A total of 36 regions nationwide have been designated as 'Fine Dust Intensive Management Zones' and will receive top-priority support for fine dust countermeasure projects.
The Ministry of Environment announced on the 6th that, together with 17 metropolitan cities and provinces, it has designated 36 locations nationwide as Fine Dust Intensive Management Zones and will promote various customized support projects for vulnerable groups affected by fine dust.
Fine Dust Intensive Management Zones are designated by local governments in consultation with the Ministry of Environment, targeting areas with many fine dust emission sources such as workplaces and vehicles nearby, and where facilities for vulnerable groups to fine dust, such as daycare centers, schools, and hospitals, are densely located.
The Ministry of Environment will invest a budget of 3 billion KRW next year to promote new customized projects for these zones and will also prioritize funding for existing fine dust projects.
Since the first designation of three districts in Seoul?Geumcheon, Yeongdeungpo, and Dongjak?in January this year, and the recent designation of three districts in Busan?Geumjeong, Dongnae, and Seo?at the beginning of this month, at least one zone has been designated in each of the 17 metropolitan cities and provinces, totaling 36 zones nationwide.
Facilities used by vulnerable groups within the Intensive Management Zones will have air curtains installed at entrances and air purification devices supported to strengthen indoor ventilation. Additionally, the provision of fine dust concentration information will be expanded through the installation of IoT-based fine dust measuring devices and fine dust traffic lights.
Water spraying trucks and vacuum cleaning vehicles will be deployed more extensively on roads within and around the Intensive Management Zones, and crackdowns on workplaces and diesel vehicles will be intensified. Existing fine dust reduction projects such as eco-friendly boiler replacements and improvements to prevention facilities in small-scale workplaces will also be supported ahead of other regions.
Kim Seung-hee, Director of Air Quality Policy at the Ministry of Environment, stated, "We will continuously discover life-centered support projects that residents can feel, so that Fine Dust Intensive Management Zones become 'Fine Dust Safe Areas.'"
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