To effectively control fugitive particulate pollution sources (e.g. gravel and asphalt factories) and reduce pollution caused by suspended particles (PM2.5), the Environmental Protection Bureau (EPB) of Taichung City Government added two more workshops to brief “Air Pollution Control Facilities and Management Practices and Regulations Concerning Stationary Pollution Sources of Fugitive Particulate Pollutants” on June 10, 2013. All the related business firms are urged to implement pollution prevention measures to protect air quality.

The EPB has checked all the 176fugitive emission sources in Taichung and found 40% of them failed to comply with the regulations in setting up or operating pollution control facilities. To urge all the operators to maintain good air quality, the EPB held two more additional workshops to brief the business firms on relevant acts and regulations, putting special emphasis on some best practices. For example, 80% of the material stacking area must be covered up by dust cloth; the containers of a vehicle in transport must be covered up tightly; road surface must be paved with sufficient amounts of concrete or steel plate; and the tires of every transport vehicle must be cleaned before leaving the factory. All these best practices are meant to minimize the fugitive particulate pollutants so as to avoid causing color aberration on the adjacent roads in front of the public and private premises.

In addition to the workshops, the EPB has also set up at Taichung Port two vehicle identification systems to strengthen monitoring and collecting evidence on those vehicles carrying gravel without pulling down cover net for 15 cm or adopting other effective control measures.

If you find any fugitive flying dust and other pollution problems, please call the EPB petition hotlines. (Reporting hotlines: 1999, 0800-066666, 22291747, and 22291748)