Tomorrow Also Yellow Dust and Ultrafine Dust... Emergency Reduction Measures Implemented in 7 Cities Including Busan

Haeundae area covered with fine dust [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunbyeol Kim] The Ministry of Environment announced on the 29th that it has issued a fine dust (PM 2.5) crisis alert at the 'interest' level for seven metropolitan cities and provinces including Busan, and will implement emergency reduction measures in these areas.

The fine dust crisis alert and emergency reduction measures will be applied from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the 30th, covering Busan, Gwangju, Chungnam, Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, Gyeongnam, and Jeju. In these regions, the fine dust concentration exceeded 50㎍/㎥ on the day, and no change in the situation is expected on the 30th.

According to this measure, the operation of 18 coal power plants nationwide will be suspended, and 37 plants will have their output limited to 80%. Vehicles rated as grade 5 that have not undergone low-emission measures will be prohibited from operating within the affected areas. Large-scale fine dust emitting businesses must implement measures such as changing operating hours, adjusting operating rates, and improving efficiency.

At construction sites, dust suppression measures such as adjusting working hours, operating water spraying trucks, and covering with dustproof sheets will be applied. The Ministry of Environment and relevant local governments will strengthen inspections and crackdowns on large-scale fine dust emitting businesses.

Minister of Environment Han Jeong-ae emphasized, "As high concentrations of fine dust occur, the government plans to thoroughly implement sector-specific reduction measures including emergency reduction actions," and added, "Since yellow dust is expected to remain, we ask the public to refrain from going out as much as possible and to follow quarantine rules such as hand washing."

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