Will Ulan Bato be the disaster area?

Scientists warn that people in Ulan Bato heating coal and other harmful materials in the winter are causing serious pollution problems for the Mongolian capital.

Half of the population in Mongolia lives in Ulan Bato. However, many households, especially poor households in Ger district, have no heating. They have to rely on coal stove to overcome the harsh winter, when the temperature drops to minus 30 degrees Celsius at night.

But coal cookers are not the only factor affecting air quality. Some residents do not even buy coal and have to burn whatever they find: from car tires, old shoes, to rubber, to provide warmth for home and cooking.

According to research data from Ulan Bato's four air quality observation stations, the level of air pollution is increasing.

Mr. Nyamdavaa Shagdar, an engineer at the Air Quality Research Station, said: "According to air quality monitoring results over the past 29 days, there are 26 days more pollution or pollution levels than possible. This has caused a negative impact on human health. "

Currently, the Ministry of Environment of Mongolia has started implementing policies to remedy this situation. Banzgragch, head of the Environment and Resources Department, the Ministry of Environment, said: "We need to prevent mass migration to Ulan Bato immediately. We will recommend the declaration of Ulan Bato as the area disaster in 2-3 years When declaring a state of emergency, we can prevent mass migration, and attract investment funding to address pollution ".

According to a recent report on global climate change of the United Nations, human behavior is the main cause of global warming. 85% of China's energy products are from coal. And Mongolian coal consumption is even higher.

Thanh Thuy