Out of Mongolia

Many are cold, but few are frozen 
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July 8, 2009

Life in the Ger Districts

                                       
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Life_in_the_Ger_Districts.zip (518 KB)
Bayangol District, Ulaanbaatar

Yesterday I went to a ger district on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar to take pictures for the World Bank's East Asia & Pacific Blog. A friend of mine, Gerelchimeg (who is my favorite waitress in the coffee shop at the Grand Khan Irish Pub) took me there and showed me around. She also made me a nice lunch of eggs, fish, and black bread.

Life is difficult in the ger districts. There is no piped water or sanitation, and few paved roads. People have to buy their water in water kiosks and carry it long distances to their homes. They burn wood or coal for cooking and heating, which leads to terrible winter pollution. I hope to increase awareness of this problem in the hopes that more will be done to tackle it.

You can read the full post at this link: Mongolia's growing shantytowns.

 

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Filed under  //   Bayangol   Ger districts   Housing   Pollution   Ulaanbaatar  

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December 23, 2008

Pollution for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

The winter air in Ulaanbaatar is hard to imagine. It is basically a thick blanket of smoke spewing out from the stoves of thousands of people living in gers, which are traditional Mongolian homes made from wooden frames covered in felt. Raw coal is the main fuel, since it is much cheaper than wood. Traffic and power plants play their part too, but it's the smoke from the gers that makes breathing such a challenge at this time of year.

Half a million people in the city live in the ger districts. They are mostly poor; recent migrants from the countryside in search of better lives. The poorest cannot even afford coal, and burn whatever they get their hands on.  Even garbage and old tires. Just think of what's going into the air.

Ulaanbaatar in May (top) and December (bottom)

From a distance, you can see a yellow-brown band smothering the city. Above it, the sky is clear and you can see the mountains and a bright, blue sky. But within the band, everything is swallowed in toxic darkness. Driving into it fills you with dread.

You can't blame people for trying to keep warm in winter. But what a price. Breathing that stuff 24/7 has got to be tough, especially for children. I wonder what the long-term health consequences will be. Not good, I'm afraid.

Fortunately, the issue is getting a lot of attention now. Improving the quality of life in Ulaanbaatar is a pillar of the World Bank's strategy for 2008-11, and dealing with pollution is a part of it. Let's hope it works.

The high price of electricity

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Filed under  //   Gers   Mongolia   Pollution   Smoke   Ulaanbaatar  

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