"42% Improvement with the Seasonal Fine Dust Management Program"
Crackdowns on Illegal Burning and Operation-Restricted Vehicles Show Results
It has been found that the level of ultrafine dust in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, during the past winter was the lowest in the last six years.
On May 8, the Gwangmyeong city government announced that the average concentration of ultrafine dust (PM2.5) recorded 23㎍/㎥ during the 6th Seasonal Fine Dust Management Program, which was implemented from December last year to March this year. The city explained that this is the lowest level since the program was first introduced in 2019.
The Seasonal Fine Dust Management Program is implemented every year to strengthen reduction measures during winter, when high concentrations of fine dust occur frequently, in order to protect citizens' health.
During this period, the ultrafine dust concentration decreased by about 42% compared to the pre-program average of 40㎍/㎥. The number of ultrafine dust alerts also decreased from five days in the previous year to four days. There were no days classified as 'Very Bad' (76㎍/㎥ or higher) in the fine dust perception index, while the number of 'Good' days (15㎍/㎥ or lower) increased by seven to a total of 47 days.
The city cited the active implementation of countermeasures as the reason for these results. During the program period, the city carried out ▲indoor air quality inspections at multi-use facilities ▲fine dust response inspections at facilities used by sensitive and vulnerable groups ▲strengthened crackdowns on illegal burning ▲operation of road dust sweeping vehicles ▲focused inspections on the use of old construction machinery at public construction sites ▲restrictions on the operation of grade 5 emission vehicles ▲strengthened management of private vehicle inspection centers ▲reduction and management of public institution-operated workplaces.
Through the operation of the program, the city detected 45 violations of grade 5 emission vehicle operation restrictions and imposed fines. Environmentally friendly cleaning vehicles operated two to four times a day on intensive management roads for road dust, covering a total of 10,923 kilometers.
In addition, the city conducted guidance and inspections at 38 air pollutant-emitting businesses and 77 construction sites generating fugitive dust, and carried out special indoor air quality inspections at 22 multi-use facilities. The fine dust response system was checked at 197 facilities used by sensitive and vulnerable groups, and 134 cases of illegal burning were also cracked down on.
Park Seungwon, Mayor of Gwangmyeong, said, "This achievement is the result of consistently implementing systematic and effective fine dust reduction measures," adding, "We will continue to promote various air quality improvement policies to create a clean atmospheric environment."
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