Songpa-gu, Focused Winter Fine Dust Management... Protecting Residents' Health

Songpa-gu Records Highest Fine Dust Concentration in February... Causes Include Weather Factors, Emission Increase, External Inflow
▲Proactive Implementation of 10 Measures in 4 Key Areas: Transportation, Heating, Workplaces, Exposure Reduction

As fine dust worsens during the winter season, Songpa-gu (District Mayor Seo Gang-seok) announced that it will implement the "6th Fine Dust Seasonal Management Plan" from December to March next year.

The factors contributing to the increase in fine dust during winter include northwesterly winds passing through China, low precipitation, and increased use of fossil fuels for heating. In fact, looking at the average monthly fine dust concentration in Songpa-gu over the past three years (’21?’23), the concentration in February, a high concentration period, was 26.3㎍/㎥, which is 2.5 times higher than the lowest month, September.

Accordingly, the district has been implementing the "Fine Dust Seasonal Management Plan" based on relevant laws since 2019. This system focuses on managing air quality intensively through fine dust reduction measures during the four months from December to March when fine dust concentrations are high. This year, 10 detailed projects will be promoted in four major areas: transportation, heating, workplaces, and exposure reduction.

First, in the transportation sector, vehicle emission and idling crackdowns will be conducted. To reduce air pollution and fuel loss caused by automobiles, a specialized enforcement team will be formed to monitor and guide using video cameras and measuring devices.

Unnecessary fine dust generation and heat energy waste will also be prevented through heating management closely related to residents' daily lives. Priority support of up to 600,000 KRW per unit will be provided for replacing home eco-friendly boilers for low-income households, and compliance with appropriate heating temperatures (below 20℃) will be inspected at least once per building for 24 large energy-consuming buildings.

For workplace management, a TF team will be formed to conduct thorough inspections of 35 air pollutant-emitting workplaces such as automobile painting facilities and 93 construction sites generating scattered dust, while focusing on cracking down on the habitual illegal burning of agricultural waste on farmland.

Lastly, in the exposure reduction sector, road cleaning will be intensified. Fine dust concentration management roads including Songpa-daero and Ogeum-ro totaling 8.2 km, and general roads totaling 299 km will be cleaned more than four times a day, and the daily cleaning vehicle operation distance will be expanded from 50 km to 60 km.

Additionally, ventilation facilities and fine dust concentrations will be specially inspected at 52 multi-use facilities such as movie theaters, and 28 locations within the district will operate fine dust concentration indicators and Free Zones (air purification booths). Indoor air quality measuring devices will also be lent free of charge to residents.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, “With a warm winter and low precipitation continuing, the possibility of fine dust generation is increasing. I hope all residents actively participate so that this year’s seasonal management plan can be successfully implemented.”