Ulaanbaatar: Air pollution

By Erdenetuya Urtnast
More than 1.5 billion people on the planet, including Ulaanbaatar residents are exposed to potentially health-damaging levels of air pollution. Concentrations of poisonous chemicals in air are several times larger than permissible standards show that today’s air pollution in Ulaanbaatar is at fatal level. Ulaanbaatar is one of the world's smoggiest capitals, so it has been nicknamed as “Utaanbaatar”. Ulaanbaatar means “red hero”. Utaanbaatar means “smoky hero” (the world utaa(n) means smoke, fume, exhaust & etc.). The geographical location of the city and excessive continental climate cause air pollution as well. It might be a key factor of air pollution.

A source says that nitrous dioxide concentration in air is 15 times, carbon oxide is 2-4 times and dust concentration is 7.8 times than permissible standard. According to official statistics of January 2008 exceeding percent of sulphur dioxide (SO2) was by 62 per cents higher than permissible standard, whereas nitrous dioxide (NO2) amount was by 97 percents higher than permissible level. [1]

Unfortunately we have come to accept smog and polluted air as “normal”. “Urban smog not only limits visibility; it can lead to health problems as uncomfortable as eye irritation and as deadly as lung cancer. The World Health Organization estimates that up to 700 000 premature deaths per year could be prevented if pollutants were brought down to safer levels“ [2]

Air pollution in Ulaanbaatar is caused primarily by electric power plants, low pressure boilers (heat only boilers) for heating, some industries, earth roads, ger-quarters which burn crude coal, car exhaust, and etc. To supplying of 80 per cents thermal energy and electricity of Ulaanbaatar the power plants burn 3.3 million tons coal each year and emit sulphur oxide (SO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon dioxide (CO2) and other gases. Also there are more than 400 low pressure heat-only-boilers in Ulaanbaatar. They supply 7 per cent of heating in Ulaanbaatar.

Ger-quarter fumes are the main reason for air pollution. According to official statistics, by the end of 2007 total 1 031 000 residents of 234743 households were registered in Ulaanbaatar. But including inhabitants without Ulaanbaatar citizenship, more than 1.3 million people are living in Ulaanbaatar.

Approximately 60-70 per cent of the households in Ulaanbaatar are residing in ger-settlements. Households of ger-districts burn about 700 thousand tons of crude coal every year. More than 60 per cent of Ulaanbaatar territory belongs to ger-settlements. Ger quarter residents have no access to tap (fauset) water and the sewage system. Fires caused by unprotected electricity lines and sparks fly out of pipes are very common. There is no infrastructure except for earth roads, water tanks, power lines (domestic wiring), communications networks and telephone lines.

Most of low income families dwell in ger-quarters. For heating and cooking they burn not only fuelwood and crude coal but also plastic bottles, plastic bags, tires (tyres) and overlays, used lubricants (oil or lube) of vehicles and rubbishes as well. Traditionally the Mongols prohibit defiling of the hearth and fireplace. But because of lacking of money to buy fuelwood and coal, some poor people scavenge plastic bottles, scrapped shoes, from rubbish dumps and burn the stuffs. A resident of 7th khoroo of Songinokharikhan district says that “For not defiling the fireplace we drip a drop of vegetable oil or butter into the fire. It is a kind of ritual to purify the fireplace. It is much better to be hungry than being chilled”.

Another factor of the air pollution is the location of ger areas. In generally the city is surrounded by ger areas and majority of them are located in the west, north-west and north directions, from where blow wind.

Car exhaust is the main reason for the city's smog problem. By the end of 2006 total 140000 vehicles were registered in Mongolia and 56 per cent or 80000 vehicles were in Ulaanbaatar. 70 per cent of cars in Mongolia have been used more than 10 years. It means those old cars are main causes of air pollution because they emit harmful gas that contains 270 sorts of poisonous chemicals, including nitrogen dioxide, carbon oxide, sulphur oxide, lead and other heavy metals.

For rural-urban migrants it has always been difficult to find a job. That is why considerable number of them chooses to be a taxi driver by buying or renting a car. Generally second hand and old cars ejected from Korea, Japan, Hong kong and Germany market are sold in Mongolia’s market. Most of the Mongols can’t afford new cars.

[1] – Monthly bulletin of statistics: January 2008, (Ulaanbaatar, 2008),pp.83
[2] – Carty, 1999