Gyeonggi Province installs air purification devices on intercity buses...Implementing lifestyle-based air quality improvement

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] To create a clean air environment that residents can experience, Gyeonggi Province will distribute indoor air purification devices to 250 intercity buses and designate daycare centers and elderly care facilities in high-concentration fine dust emission areas as intensive management zones, implementing lifestyle-based air quality improvement measures.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 11th that it has established the '2022 Gyeonggi Province Air Environment Improvement Promotion Plan,' implementing 4 major strategies, 10 sectors, and 39 priority tasks.

This plan is an annual short-term plan based on the 'Gyeonggi Province Air Environment Management Implementation Plan (2020-2024)' established last year.

According to the 'Air Management Jurisdiction Act,' metropolitan cities and provinces must establish air environment management implementation plans on a five-year basis and receive approval from the Minister of Environment.

The province has set target concentrations from April this year through March next year as follows: fine dust (PM10) 39㎍/㎥, ultrafine dust (PM2.5) 20㎍/㎥, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) 18ppb, and ozone (O3) 28ppb.

Last year's concentrations were: fine dust (PM10) 42㎍/㎥, ultrafine dust (PM2.5) 21㎍/㎥, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) 19ppb, and ozone (O3) 29ppb.

The province will pursue various new projects this year to create a clean air environment.

First, the province will fully implement the distribution project of indoor air purification devices for intercity buses, whose effectiveness was verified through a pilot project last year. This year, the province plans to install bus-type air purification devices on 250 intercity buses.

Bus-type air purification devices convert polluted indoor air into clean air through pre-filters (removing large dust), carbon filters (removing odorous substances), HEPA filters (removing fine dust and ultrafine dust), and UV-LED (sterilizing floating bacteria and viruses).

In addition, through the 'Intensive Management Zone Support Project,' the province will support intensive management of vulnerable group facilities such as daycare centers and elderly care facilities in high-concentration fine dust emission areas, including commercial zones and industrial complexes near 10 cities and counties, including Suwon.

The province will measure fine dust by installing fine dust shelters, simple measuring devices, fine dust absorption mats, smart air showers, and window-mounted ventilation systems, and implement rapid reduction measures when concentrations are high.

Additionally, the province plans to conduct surveys and analyses on air quality in large restaurant kitchens where various harmful gases are generated in large quantities and farms and country houses using wood-fired boilers, and then develop improvement measures.

The province has set ▲lifestyle sector, ▲policy and cooperation ▲transportation, and ▲business facility management and emission source concentration reduction as a total of 4 major strategies. The project cost for a total of 39 detailed projects amounts to 574.4 billion won.

In the 'Policy and Cooperation' sector strategy, the province will pursue the West Coast region (Gyeonggi·Incheon·Chungcheongnam-do) ultra-wide area air quality improvement project, Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port air quality improvement project, and joint research on air quality by UN Environment Programme (UNEP)-Gyeonggi·Seoul·Incheon.

To expand the distribution of zero-emission eco-friendly vehicles and reduce old diesel vehicle operation, the 'Transportation' sector strategy includes distribution of electric two-wheelers and electric excavators, and old-vehicle emission reduction projects. The 'Business Facility Management and Emission Source Concentration Reduction' strategy prioritizes support for small-scale business facilities' prevention facilities and expansion of high-concentration fuel (solid fuel, high-sulfur oil, etc.) usage restriction areas.

The province plans to actively cooperate with related departments, cities, and counties to ensure smooth implementation of the strategies and projects reflected in this plan, and manage and check implementation status on a quarterly basis.

Park Dae-geun, director of the Fine Dust Countermeasures Division of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "This plan is an annual plan aimed at achieving the Seoul Metropolitan Area air environment implementation plan targets and improving air quality in Gyeonggi Province, which has worse conditions compared to other provinces," and added, "We will make our best efforts to ensure that residents can breathe safe and clean air not only from fine dust but also from air pollutants."