Tomorrow's Fine Dust Forecast Provided a Day Early... Jongno-gu Operates 'Fine Dust Alert and Warning System'

[Seoul District News] Jongno-gu Quickly Communicates Fine Dust Situations through 'Alert and Warning System' to Minimize Health Risks for Vulnerable Groups... In Second Half, 'Fine Dust Traffic Lights' Displaying Real-Time Concentrations with Colors and Images to Be Installed in 17 Neighborhoods

Fine Dust Traffic Light in front of Jongno-gu Community Center

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] March is usually the month when fine dust (PM2.5) concentrations are the highest and the frequency of 'bad' fine dust occurrences is higher compared to other periods throughout the year.

Accordingly, Jongno-gu will operate the '2022 Fine Dust Forecast and Warning System' to protect residents' health from high concentrations of fine dust and contribute to reducing air pollution.

The 'Forecast System' is a service that sends text messages to applicants when the fine dust grade is expected to be 'bad' or worse the next day.

The 'Warning System' is designed to minimize damage to vulnerable groups by quickly delivering air quality status and citizen action guidelines to hospitals, senior centers, daycare centers, etc., when fine dust concentrations exceed certain standards (fine dust 150㎍/㎥, ultrafine dust 75㎍/㎥).

Applications can be made by phone inquiry to the Environment and Air Management Team.

In addition, the district guides businesses and construction sites that generate air pollutants and dust to take fine dust reduction measures when warnings are issued.

As a result, businesses emitting air pollutants take measures such as reducing fuel usage and adjusting operating rates, and construction sites that generate scattered dust also shorten working hours or suspend some operations.

Furthermore, Jongno-gu plans to expand general and main road cleaning from once to twice daily in response to fine dust warnings, conducting road washing and vacuum cleaning simultaneously, and will strengthen restrictions on vehicle idling and emissions inspections. The reduction of administrative vehicle operation is currently temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 'Severe' stage but will resume when the alert level is adjusted to 'Caution' or similar.

In the second half of this year, there are plans to expand the installation of 'Fine Dust Traffic Lights' in all 17 neighborhoods to help residents easily and quickly check air quality conditions.

The Fine Dust Traffic Light is a device that displays the surrounding fine dust concentration in real-time using colors and images, and can provide residents with various information including ozone, nitrogen dioxide, temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and emergency messages.

Previously, in 2021, it was selected as a resident participation budget project and installed at three locations: Jongno Community Center, Jongno Culture and Sports Center, and Olympic Memorial National Life Center.

A district official said, “We plan to continue efforts to promptly inform residents of fine dust conditions to protect their health and improve air quality,” and added, “We ask residents to refrain from going out as much as possible and to wear health masks during high concentration fine dust situations.”

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