Seongnam City to Invest 63.7 Billion KRW This Year for Fine Dust Management

Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province is implementing a ‘Comprehensive Fine Dust Management Plan.’

Seongnam City announced on the 25th that it has prepared and will implement a comprehensive fine dust management plan aiming to reduce the annual average concentration of ultrafine dust from 18㎍/㎥ as of last year to 15㎍/㎥ by 2027.

To this end, Seongnam City will invest 63.7 billion KRW this year to carry out 20 projects across seven sectors, including transportation, industry, daily life, and the establishment of a systematic management foundation and response measures.

First, 39.9 billion KRW will be invested to distribute 4,098 eco-friendly vehicles such as electric passenger cars, electric trucks, and hydrogen cars. Additionally, 4.4 billion KRW will be spent on early scrapping or installing reduction devices on 1,246 old diesel vehicles.

Seongnam City decided on these preemptive measures because the transportation sector accounts for 53.6% (625 tons) of the annual ultrafine dust emissions of 1,165 tons in the Seongnam area.

Seongnam City Hall

In the industrial sector, up to 5 million KRW will be supported for the replacement of consumables in pollution prevention facilities at 18 small-scale businesses lacking technology and professional manpower to manage air pollutant emission facilities.

Furthermore, eight private monitors will be deployed to strengthen surveillance activities at 172 dust-generating businesses and 138 air pollutant-emitting businesses. Twenty-six fine dust living environment monitoring personnel will be assigned to vulnerable areas such as construction sites and roadsides.

In the daily life sector, 20 water spraying trucks and 17 street cleaning vehicles will be operated to reduce road re-scattered dust.

Additionally, when fine dust warnings or emergency reduction measures are issued, response actions will be taken in four stages according to the disaster site action manual.

Meanwhile, Seongnam City has continuously pursued fine dust reduction policies closely related to citizens’ health, reducing the number of days with ultrafine dust levels classified as ‘bad’ (standard of 36㎍/㎥ or higher) from 99 days in 2017 to 43 days last year.