"Thanks to the Seasonal Management System" ... 24% Reduction in Ultrafine Dust Concentration in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam

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[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kang Woo-kwon] From December last year to March this year, the seasonal management period for high-concentration fine dust, the average concentration of ultrafine dust (PM2.5) in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam decreased by 24% compared to the same period a year earlier.

According to the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office on the 14th, the ultrafine dust concentration in Busan decreased by 26%, from an average of 28㎍/㎥ during December 2018 to March 2019 to 21㎍/㎥ during December 2019 to March 2020. During the same period, the ultrafine dust concentration in Ulsan improved by 25%, from an average of 25㎍/㎥ to 19㎍/㎥, and in Gyeongnam by 20%, from 24㎍/㎥ to 19㎍/㎥.

The annual average figures also show continuous improvement in ultrafine dust concentration. The average ultrafine dust concentration in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam decreased from 26㎍/㎥ in 2015 to 25㎍/㎥ in 2016 and 2017, 22㎍/㎥ in 2018, and 20㎍/㎥ in 2019.

According to the 2019 ultrafine dust pollution analysis data from the National Institute of Environmental Research, among 17 metropolitan cities and provinces, Busan ranked 11th, Ulsan 13th, and Gyeongnam 15th, indicating lower pollution levels compared to other regions. Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam all recorded their lowest ultrafine dust concentrations in 2019, which the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office analyzed as mainly due to favorable weather conditions such as increased cumulative rainfall and reductions in emissions from chimney sources.

During the seasonal management period, the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office focused on managing emission sources to reduce fine dust through special inspections of air emission facilities (124 times), management of fine dust generating sites such as large construction sites (147 times), remote monitoring using advanced equipment such as mobile measurement vehicles and drones (23 times), and fine dust reduction campaigns (22 times).

Lee Ho-jung, head of the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office, stated, "2020 is the first year of enforcement of the Air Quality Management Area Act, and we plan to promote detailed fine dust reduction measures tailored to the characteristics of emission sources by region along with integrated air quality management in the southeastern region." He added, "We will continue to proactively respond to regional air environment issues such as fine dust."

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