Chungnam Province to Implement 'Fine Dust Seasonal Management System' Until March Next Year

Chungnam Province will implement the ‘5th Seasonal Fine Dust Management Plan’ from this month until March next year.

Chungnam Province announced on the 1st that through the implementation of the seasonal fine dust management plan, it will promote strengthened fine dust reduction measures from winter, when high concentrations of fine dust frequently occur, until spring of the following year.

Last month, the cityscape viewed from Yeouido, Seoul, where the fine dust concentration was at the 'Bad' level, was shrouded in fine dust. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

As a result of implementing the 4th seasonal management plan from December last year to March, the average concentration of ultrafine dust in the Chungnam area was analyzed to have improved by 20% (7㎍/㎥) to 28㎍/㎥ compared to before the policy was implemented.

Accordingly, during the 5th seasonal management plan period, Chungnam Province plans to enhance the effectiveness of fine dust reduction measures by focusing on key tasks in sectors such as industry, power generation, and transportation, as well as improving living spaces.

First, in the industrial sector, the province will strengthen reductions by companies that have voluntarily agreed to reduce emissions, mainly targeting large air pollutant-emitting business sites, and induce additional reduction achievements by selecting and rewarding excellent companies with high reduction performance.

In addition, advanced monitoring equipment such as drones and mobile measurement vehicles will be used to intensively monitor the northwestern industrial complex area and high-risk regions. A system for continuous monitoring and crackdown on key emission sources will be established, and joint inspection teams of the province and city/county, along with 98 private monitoring personnel, will be utilized to inspect business sites suspected of illegal fine dust emissions.

In the power generation sector, assuming the stability of power supply and demand, up to 7 out of a total of 29 coal-fired power plants in the province will be shut down, and the operation rate of other power plants will be limited to around 80%.

Especially in the transportation sector, as the restriction and crackdown on the operation of Grade 5 emission vehicles have been expanded by adding Daejeon, Ulsan, Gwangju, and Sejong to the existing Seoul metropolitan area, Daegu, and Busan, Chungnam Province explained that it will enforce restrictions on the operation of Grade 5 emission vehicles when emergency reduction measures are issued.

During the seasonal management plan period, Chungnam Province will reduce fine dust in the transportation sector by inspecting compliance with restrictions on the use of old construction machinery at 181 public construction sites with a total project cost of over 10 billion KRW within the air management zone. In the living sector, illegal burning of agricultural waste in rural areas and vehicles exceeding emission standards will be intensively monitored.

Additionally, in the sensitive and vulnerable groups sector, 2,289 locations including daycare centers, elderly facilities, and social welfare facilities will conduct self-inspections, and 627 locations will undergo additional on-site inspections to check the implementation of fine dust response manuals and proper management of air purifiers, alongside winter safety inspections.

Currently, Chungnam Province is providing real-time data measured by the air environment monitoring network and village air monitoring network to reduce damage to residents caused by high concentrations of fine dust, and is also exploring ways to notify residents via text message (SMS) if fine dust forecast standards are exceeded.

Bin Jun-su, head of the Air Environment Division of Chungnam Province, said, “This winter, air stagnation is expected to increase and social and economic activities will recover, leading to relatively high fine dust concentrations. We ask residents to participate in daily practices to reduce fine dust, such as low-emission measures for Grade 5 vehicles and maintaining appropriate indoor temperatures during winter.”