Page 25 - bne IntelliNews magazine February 2025

bne February 2025 Companies & Markets I 25
of ger districts in the city has fallen from 50.2% to 44% of all districts, according to official statistics.
When interviewed recently by members of parliament, officials from Tavan Tolgoi denied that their process for making briquettes has changed, according to a readout from the Mongolian Parliament website.
The company’s chief technologist D. Ulziibat blamed the poor air quality in Ulaanbaatar on increased vehicle usage and private companies burning raw coal. Poor quality stoves are a problem too, he told the officials, saying that 60% of stoves in Ulaanbaatar do not meet quality standards.
Oyungerel Tsedevdamba, leader of the Civic Unity Party and a critic of the government, said sending briquettes abroad for testing was unnecessary, suggesting that the government is stalling until the end of winter when public anger over air quality will fade away.
“There are many labs that can easily test them here,” said Oyungerel.
She accused the government of avoiding questions over briquette quality because the company that provides the middling to produce the briquettes, Energy Resources, is politically aligned with the ruling Mongolian People’s Party
(MPP). In 2021, Oyun-Erdene signed a resolution exempting Energy Resources from air pollution fees.
Government officials did not respond to questions about the briquettes from bne IntelliNews.
The government has warned the public to stay indoors when smoke levels increase. But in ger districts, where many people live in a felt-covered ger (yurt), avoiding exposure to the pollution is a daily challenge. Simple requirements like fetching water or using the outhouse require a trip outside.
Typically for this time of year in Ulaanbaatar, hospitals are reporting increased cases of children with colds and flu. Many of the cases are blamed on the breathing of dirty air.
According to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef), pneumonia is the second leading cause of mortality in Mongolia among children under five. Children living in highly polluted districts of Ulaanbaatar have 40%-lower lung function than children living in rural areas.
Unicef also reports air pollution in Ulaanbaatar severely impacts pregnancy and fetal health, including increased cases of postpartum bleeding, abnormal fetal development and increased stillbirths. Studies show fetal deaths occur at a rate 3.5 times higher in winter compared to summer.
Officials say more than half of the air pollution is produced by the city's little-planned ger districts (Credit: Borodaty, cc-by-sa 1.0).
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