[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Last year, the sky over Gyeonggi-do was found to be the clearest on record. The annual average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM-2.5) in the atmosphere was 20㎍/㎥, the lowest since observations began in 2015. The number of "Good" days (15㎍/㎥ or less) also reached 166 days, the highest number of days with clear skies.
According to the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment on the 4th, the annual average concentration of fine particulate matter in the province was highest in 2018 at 28㎍/㎥, then decreased to 26㎍/㎥ in 2019, 21㎍/㎥ in 2020, 21㎍/㎥ in 2021, and 20㎍/㎥ in 2022, showing a downward trend each year.
The Institute measured fine particulate matter at 110 urban air monitoring stations across 31 cities and counties in the province. These measurements will be finalized after review by the National Institute of Environmental Research in the first half of this year.
Looking at the average concentrations by city and county last year, Pyeongtaek-si and Yeoju-si recorded the highest at 23㎍/㎥. In contrast, Dongducheon-si and Yeoncheon-gun had the lowest at 15㎍/㎥. Bucheon-si showed the greatest reduction rate among the 31 cities and counties, dropping from 24㎍/㎥ in 2021 to 19㎍/㎥ in 2022.
Last year, the number of "Good" grade days for fine particulate matter in Gyeonggi-do was 166, the highest since observations began. This is three days more than in 2021, when air quality was also favorable. The number of days rated "Bad" or worse (36㎍/㎥ or higher), which pose health risks, was 40 days, the lowest since 2015.
The Institute cited the following reasons for the decrease in fine particulate matter: ▲ continuous implementation of air quality improvement policies (early retirement of old diesel vehicles, reduction of pollutant emissions from industrial facilities, etc.) ▲ favorable weather conditions ▲ reduction in pollution inflow from abroad.
The Institute will publish the "2022 Gyeonggi-do Air Quality Evaluation Report" in the second half of this year, containing analysis results of Gyeonggi-do's air quality.
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