Goyang City to Implement 7th Seasonal Fine Dust Management Program Through March Next Year

Crackdown on Grade 5 Emission Vehicles
Stricter Inspections at Construction Sites and Road Cleaning
Enhanced Measures to Reduce Fine Dust

Goyang Special City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Donghwan) announced on December 11 that it will implement the "7th Seasonal Fine Dust Management Program" through March next year to protect citizens' health from high concentrations of fine dust, which repeatedly occur in winter and spring.

Exterior view of Goyang Special City Hall. Provided by Goyang Special City.

The seasonal management program is a policy designed to reduce the likelihood of high concentrations of fine dust and improve air quality by implementing stronger reduction measures than usual.

Before the implementation of the seasonal management program, the average winter and spring ultrafine dust concentration was 36㎍/㎥. However, thanks to enhanced reduction measures, this figure gradually improved and dropped to 23㎍/㎥ during the 6th program period.

The 7th program will further strengthen management of major sources of air pollution. In the transportation sector, the operation of Grade 5 emission vehicles that have not undergone emission-reducing modifications will be restricted.

Enforcement will take place on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and violators will be fined 100,000 won per offense. In addition, restrictions on the use of old construction machinery, special inspections for vehicle idling, and emission checks will be conducted in parallel, with a focus on managing mobile pollution sources.

In the industrial sector, 350 sites that emit air pollutants will be inspected to check the operation of pollution control facilities and compliance with self-monitoring requirements, aiming to proactively prevent pollutant emissions.

For 268 construction sites with a high potential for fugitive dust, compliance with dust barrier installation and operation of water spraying facilities will be continuously monitored.

Measures in daily life will also be expanded. To prevent illegal burning of agricultural waste, which occurs every winter, the city will focus on collecting agricultural waste such as used vinyl and pesticide containers from November to December, and will simultaneously run a project to crush and compost agricultural by-products. In urban areas, to reduce road resuspended dust, a total of 36 water-spraying and road-cleaning vehicles will be deployed to clean major arterial and priority roads at least twice a day.

Protecting the health of vulnerable groups remains a key policy direction. The city will conduct intensive inspections of indoor air quality management at multi-use facilities such as underground stations, daycare centers, and nursing homes, and will pre-inspect fine dust shelters and continuously monitor the maintenance of air purifier filters in preparation for high-concentration situations.

Meanwhile, in cases of sudden deterioration in fine dust levels, the city will promptly issue preliminary and emergency reduction measures to improve air quality.

When emergency reduction measures are issued, the city will strictly enforce restrictions on Grade 5 vehicle operation, implement an alternate-day driving system for public institution vehicles, adjust operating hours at construction sites and businesses, expand road cleaning, and provide behavioral guidelines to minimize the impact on citizens.

During the seasonal management period, the city plans to use a variety of promotional tools, including municipal electronic billboards, bus information terminals, and social media, to inform citizens about its policies and encourage their participation.

A city official stated, "We will focus all administrative resources on steadily reducing fine dust concentrations through this 7th seasonal management program."

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