In order to reduce the air pollution caused by construction projects, the Environmental Protection Administration, Executive Yuan (hereinafter referred to as EPA) has been promoting the "Air Pollution Control Act" since 1996 to reduce pollution emissions from various construction sites. On July 1, 2004, EPA officially enforced the "Management Regulations for Construction Project Air Pollution Control Facilities" so that there are clearer operating specifications for pollution control facilities on the construction site. In order to improve the air quality of Chiayi City, EPA also enacted the "2022 Fugitive Emission Control Plan of Chiayi City" to improve the quality of life of its citizens. It is hoped that the EPA can keep track of the pollutant emissions at the source so that remedial measures can be taken to make improvements, thereby achieving the goals of pollution control, maintaining air quality through prevention and control, and increasing the general public's satisfaction.
In terms of the report and collection of air pollution control fees, there are currently 617 reported cases with an originally reported amount of NT$12,978,516. Among all the cases reported, the east district accounts for 363 cases (or 57.9% of the total reported cases) with an originally reported amount of NT$7,447,198 while the west district accounts for 264 cases (or 42.2% of the total reported cases) with an originally reported amount of NT$5,531,318.
While taking pollution control actions for construction projects, there were 1,334 regulated construction sites that generated 1,214.85metric tons of fugitive dust, which was later reduced by 736.68 metric tons with a reduction rate of 60.64%. So far, a total of 2,442 round inspections have been carried out in accordance with the management measures. Among a total of 74 cases that failed to meet the management provisions, 41 had minor defects (with less than 10 violation points) while 33 had major defects (more than 10 violation points), all of which have been kept track of and guided until improvements were made. So far, the compliance rate of the management measures was 96.9%.
In terms of the counseling service for operations on the construction site, a briefing session on the enhancement of "management measures for air quality protection and noise control on the construction sites" and 2 briefing sessions on the "educational campaign for air quality protection and noise control on the construction sites" have been provided, where business operators are required to take construction project management measures and allocate sufficient funds to facilitate various pollution prevention operations. So far, counseling service has been provided to 7 construction sites for CCTV installment, 23 construction sites for using green building materials (with a total of 280.70 metric tons used), 11 construction sites for using eco-friendly paint (with a total of 48.01 metric tons used) and a reduction of NMHC (by a total of 18.96 metric tons), 20 construction sites for waste soil disposal, daylighting of 13.079 cubic meters, and a reduction of fugitive dust by about 444.691 kilograms. In addition, counseling service has also been provided to 45 construction sites for the greening of fences, including 10 hedges, which are estimated to reduce CO2 by 13,595 kilograms. Also, counseling service has been provided to 21 construction sites for road maintenance, with a total length of 10,441.828 kilometers of street sweeping and washing, a reduction of TSP by about 144.096 metric tons, and a reduction of PM10 by about 27.151 metric tons. At the same time, EPA is also assisted to complete the survey of 23 construction facilities and tools to keep track of the pollution source.
In terms of the complaints about pollution on the construction sites, a total of 294 complaints were accepted, among which 64 involved fugitive dust on the construction sites (accounting for 71.9% of all fugitive dust complaints received) and 230 involved noise pollution on the construction sites (accounting for 94.8% of all noise pollution complaints received). Given that the repetitively reported cases were defined as the same location which has been reported more than 3 times, there are currently 26 repetitively reported cases that have been repetitively reported 56 times with a repetitively reported rate of 27.5%. In this study, a total of 281 noise surveys and patrol inspections have been carried out on the construction sites to guide the subjects to conduct self-noise monitoring.
Only by pollution control and reduction at the sources can the problems be solved for business sustainability. By going through the EPA assessment, achieving the targets of pollution reduction as provided in the Handbook of Environmental Pollution and Control, and taking innovative measures, the construction project can bring administrative efficiency into full play to solve regional problems. This way, the general public can feel better in the face of seasons with poor air quality or when daily construction projects are carried out, thereby reducing the number of complaints effectively. So far, the score for self-assessment is 6.65 (out of the full score of 7.25), the targets of pollution reduction provided in the handbook have been gradually achieved, and innovative measures such as "establishing online report and review system" have been taken to provide construction site owners with multiple reporting channels and multiple alternatives to promote the management of air pollution control facilities on the construction sites.
