Gyeonggi-do Reduced 'Old Diesel Vehicles,' Major Cause of Fine Dust, by 40%

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has reduced the number of grade 5 old diesel vehicles in the province by about 40% last year.

According to the Ministry of Environment's vehicle emission grade system, the number of grade 5 old diesel vehicles in Gyeonggi Province was 261,919 as of the end of last year, a 40% decrease compared to 434,628 in 2018, the province announced on the 5th.

The significant decrease in grade 5 old diesel vehicles is due to the great success of the "Old Diesel Vehicle Emission Reduction Project." Through this project, last year the province carried out emission reduction for a total of 118,708 old diesel vehicles, including ▲early scrapping of 98,514 vehicles ▲DPF installation on 20,191 vehicles ▲LPG engine conversion on 3 vehicles.

This number exceeds the total of 117,035 vehicles from the combined results of 2016 to 2018.

Earlier, in August last year, the province secured a budget of 291 billion won, more than twice the original budget of 110.2 billion won, through supplementary budgeting to promote this project.

Additionally, the slowing trend in the increase of diesel vehicles due to improved public awareness is also considered to have had a significant impact on the reduction of old diesel vehicles. In fact, as of November last year, the number of diesel vehicles in the province was 2,400,030, an increase of only 256 compared to 2,399,774 in 2018.

Considering that diesel vehicles increased by more than 100,000 annually with about 2,176,000 in 2016, about 2,290,000 in 2017, and about 2,399,000 in 2018, the growth rate of diesel vehicles has sharply declined.

On the other hand, eco-friendly vehicles such as hydrogen and hybrid cars increased by about 26,000, from about 111,900 in 2018 to about 138,000 as of November last year, showing a contrasting trend.

A provincial official emphasized, "As a result of securing the highest budget ever and continuous efforts with the goal of creating a Gyeonggi Province free from fine dust concerns, we have achieved significant reduction in old diesel vehicles. We will continue to strive for the healthy and pleasant lives of our residents."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.