Beginning Monday, Seoul officials waived public transport fees during commuter hours as the daily average density of ultra-fine dust remained above 50 micrograms per cubic meter — a level that`s widely considered harmful. Authorities have also limited car use for public employees, closed 360 parking lots and reduced construction work on government-funded projects.
Those policies were first introduced last year when Seoul`s air quality index exceeded 179 micrograms per cubic meter of fine dust, the highest level among global metropolitan cities after New Delhi in India. Experts say the country`s use of coal and diesel has resulted in increasing air pollution, exacerbated by smog from China.
The latest anti-pollution operations will likely stay in place for several days but aren`t expected to negatively impact private company operations, Miha Hribernik, senior Asia analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, said in a note.
Asia`s fourth-largest economy is the eighth-worst performing country in Verisk Maplecroft`s 2018 Air Quality Index. India and Bangladesh took first and second place, respectively.
0 comments:
Post a Comment