Gyeongbuk Province to Implement 'Fine Dust Seasonal Management System' Starting December

High-Intensity Measures to Reduce Fine Dust by Sector Until March Next Year

Restrictions on Grade 5 Vehicle Operation, Air Quality Inspection of Multi-Use Facilities, Expansion of Fine Dust Traffic Lights

Gyeongbuk Province will implement the seasonal fine dust management system from December to March next year.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Gyeongsangbuk-do will implement the ‘Seasonal Fine Dust Management System’ from December 1 this year until March next year.

The Seasonal Fine Dust Management System, which has been in effect since 2019, is a system that enforces strengthened fine dust countermeasures for four months from December, when high concentrations of fine dust frequently occur, to March of the following year.

Gyeongbuk Province plans to establish and implement high-intensity measures to reduce fine dust emissions in the transportation, industrial, and daily life sectors during the implementation period, and also strengthen measures to protect the health of residents.

In the transportation sector, when emergency reduction measures are issued, the operation of grade 5 emission vehicles will be restricted, early scrapping will be encouraged to quickly induce low-emission measures, and support for installing particulate matter reduction devices will be expanded.

Six video cameras and 20 particulate matter measurement devices will be mobilized to conduct special inspections on vehicle emissions, and vehicle idling will be monitored at 63 locations including bus terminals.

Old construction machinery will be restricted from use during the system implementation period, while supporting low-emission measures such as engine replacement. In the industrial sector, inspections will be strengthened targeting workplaces and construction sites that emit exhaust gases and generate dust.

Advanced monitoring equipment such as drones and mobile measurement vehicles will be utilized, and a joint mobile inspection team composed of a private fine dust illegal emission monitoring group and the Daegu Regional Environmental Office will be operated. Financial support will be provided to small and medium-sized enterprises that require it for installing and replacing air pollution prevention facilities.

In the daily life sector, support will be provided for the collection and disposal of agricultural waste and residues, and cooperation with forestry, agriculture, and environmental departments will be strengthened to promote and enforce bans on illegal burning. Thirty urban road sections totaling 191 km will be designated as intensive management roads, and road cleaning will be conducted more than twice a day using vacuum street sweepers.

The province will strengthen indoor air quality inspections at 314 multi-use facilities such as large stores and libraries, and expand the installation of fine dust safe spaces equipped with air purifiers at bus stops.

Fifty additional fine dust traffic lights will be installed to provide real-time air quality information and encourage behavioral responses such as refraining from going out during high concentration periods.

Last winter, the average concentration of ultrafine dust in Gyeongbuk Province was 21㎍/㎥, showing a 19% decrease compared to the average concentration of 26㎍/㎥ during the same period over the past three years.

The number of days with a fine dust index of ‘Good’ increased from 25 to 43 days, while the number of ‘Bad’ days decreased from 27 to 14 days.

Choi Young-sook, Director of the Environment, Forestry and Resources Bureau, said, “We will do our best to create a safe Gyeongbuk this winter from fine dust by thoroughly implementing the system that suppresses fine dust emissions to the maximum.”

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