By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
The air became cleaner in Seoul last year thanks to the city government’s efforts to reduce diesel vehicles and increase buses using eco-friendly fuels, a research institute at Seoul City said.
The yearly average of fine dust concentration of PM10 (particles of 10 micrometers or less in diameter) was 55 μg per ㎥, which is 9.8 percent down from 2007 and the lowest since recordings began in 1995, the Research Institute of Public Health and Environment said Wednesday.
It said the concentration of PM2.5 decreased 13.3 percent, marking the lowest level since the monitoring started in 2003.
Days with PM10 concentration under 20 μg/㎥, which is the recommended yearly average by the World Health Organization (WHO), increased to 28, a notable improvement from the 10 days recorded in 2001.
Pollution levels in tunnels, which are influenced by exhaust fumes from automobiles, also declined.
``The cleaner air reflects falls in air pollution from diesel cars,’’ a city official said.
The city will spend about $108 million to reduce the level of micro dust concentration to 51 μg/㎥ in 2009. It has already replaced 70 percent of 7,748 urban buses with those powered by environmentally-friendly compressed natural gas (CNG) since 2004. All buses will meet the new standard by 2010.
The CNG engine system will be extended to local shuttle buses, garbage trucks and door-to-door delivery vehicles. Other diesel vehicles will have to go through pollution test or will be banned from operating in the city.
meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr
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