"Reduce Fine Dust" ... Changwon Special City Mobilizes Full Response During High Fine Dust Season

Average Ultrafine Dust Concentration Drops by 33% (24㎍/㎥→16㎍/㎥)
with Implementation of Seasonal Management System

Changwon Special City in South Gyeongsang Province will implement the 7th Seasonal Fine Dust Management System from December this year to March next year in order to protect citizens' health from high concentrations of fine dust, which appear like unwelcome guests every winter through early spring. This system involves preemptive measures that are stronger than usual.

Lee Yujeong, Director of the Climate and Environment Bureau, is explaining about the reduction of fine dust.

This seasonal management system will systematically promote 17 tasks across four main areas: ▲transportation, ▲industry, ▲intensive management of citizens' living spaces, and ▲forecasting and proactive response.

Specifically, in the ▲transportation sector, restrictions on the operation of grade 5 emission vehicles and implementation of the public sector two-shift system will be enforced when emergency fine dust reduction measures are issued. In the ▲industrial sector, monitoring and special inspections using advanced equipment such as mobile measurement vehicles and drones will be conducted, and a private inspection team will be utilized for continuous monitoring of illegal fine dust emissions. For ▲intensive management of citizens' living spaces, key tasks include focused inspections of indoor air quality in multi-use facilities, operation of an agricultural by-product shredding support team, and management of designated intensive management roads. In the ▲forecasting and proactive response sector, major tasks will include promoting fine dust response guidelines and citizen participation, as well as activating a crisis management system when high concentrations occur.

Since its introduction in 2019, the seasonal management system has been implemented six times. As a result, Changwon City has seen positive effects: the average ultrafine dust concentration has decreased by 33% (from 24㎍/㎥ to 16㎍/㎥), the number of days with 'good' air quality has increased by 26 days (from 35 to 66 days), and the number of days with 'bad' air quality has decreased by 15 days (from 19 to 4 days) compared to before the system was introduced.

Lee Yujeong, Director of the Climate and Environment Bureau, stated, "During the seasonal management period, when fine dust levels tend to rise, we will do our utmost to ensure that all related measures are implemented seamlessly on site. We also ask citizens to take thorough care of their personal health and actively participate in efforts to reduce fine dust."

Meanwhile, as more than 60% of all ultrafine dust emissions in Changwon come from the construction and transportation sectors, the city is continuously promoting vehicle emission reduction projects, such as early scrapping of old vehicles and support for the installation of emission reduction devices, with a budget of 15.958 billion won, in order to reduce the number of grade 4 and 5 emission vehicles, which account for a significant portion of automobile-related fine dust emissions.