The authorities, especially those of the capital city, have toyed with the lives of Ulaanbaatar residents for many years.Those who were mayors of the city during transitional years were always appointed by political parties rather than being elected by the people. Wearing the masks of political parties, they and their henchmen have been stealing land and embezzling billions of tugriks, saying that they have been fixing the problems of air and water pollution.
It has already been ten years since people first started complaining about the malfunctioning of the waste treatment facility, as well as the horrid smell coming from the Tuul River. Even I wrote several articles (https://jargaldefacto.com/) on the topic, including “Abandoned Tuul” (2011), “Where is my dear Tuul” (2012), “Capital city – a development hobble” (2013), and “Water is our unvalued treasure” (2014), offering criticisms on clean water supply, sewage treatment, the price and usage of water, and presenting ideas that could help to resolve the problems.
The mayor, the minister, and related offices have always made a big commotion and said that they would take measures urgently every time there was a serious failure at the central and pre-treatment facilities. They have been saying that the tanneries would be moved out of the capital. However, we have not seen any change in the last 20 years. The only change that has happened is that almost everyone who made those false promises has become wealthy, been appointed to more senior positions, and seen their political parties win elections.
S.Unen, the director of the Water Supply and Sewage Authority, reported last week (on May 27) that the central treatment facility has to be shut down for three days because it needs immediate maintenance. The patience of Ulaanbaatar residents reached its limit when he said that there was no choice but to discharge raw sewage directly into the Tuul River for three days. Ulaanbaatar is about to become the world’s biggest open toilet.
WHAT EXACTLY HAS HAPPENED?
The central sewage treatment facility was first built in 1964 with a capacity of treating 45,000 cubic metres of sewage per day. Its capacity was enhanced in 1979, and again in 1985, to be brought to 65,000 cubic metres. However, approximately 175,000 cubic metres of wastewater currently comes to the facility every day. This facility receives wastewater from the residents of Ulaanbaatar, treats it, and pumps the treated water back into the Tuul River. Despite being fully aware of the ongoing expansion of the city, the mayors have done nothing more than just talk about improving the central treatment facility and building a new one.
Waste from tanneries and water with chemical contamination are supposed to be treated at the Khargia pre-treatment facility before being sent on to the central treatment facility. However, this facility does not work now because they installed the wrong technology, despite investing billions.
Although an audit report explains where things went wrong (http://www.city.audit.mn/images/pdf/audit/guit-setgeliin_audit/2013/Uridchilsan_TsB_web.pdf) and who is to blame, no follow-up action has been taken, as the culprits are closely associated with the authorities of the city.
Due to the absence of the pre-treatment process, poisonous silt is currently disposed of at Moringiin Davaa, whereas toxic fluid waste is directly discharged into the central treatment facility. It is said that the fluid waste that did not undergo any pre-treatment compromises the effectiveness of the treatment process. In other words, sewage that is barely treated has been directly discharged into the Tuul River for many years. It explains the unpleasant smell that comes from the river. The city has been sinking in its sewage for some time now. It did not happen only recently – they just did not announce it before.
If you want to double check, I would suggest going near the Tuul River north of Biocombinat (the bio-industrial complex). You will be reminded of the history of the “Great Stink” in London. There is a 60-year-old, wooden bridge (Songino Bridge) that could collapse at any time. If you stand on the bridge and have a peek into the river, you will see the flow of dark blue wastewater.
WHO LET IT HAPPEN?
The Water Supply and Sewage Authority, the central treatment facility, and related departments of the city authority are all saying that the current facility needs some repair, a new one must be built urgently, and there is no choice but to discharge sewage directly into the Tuul River. It looks like there really is no choice.
We, the people of a democratic nation, have the right to know who let this situation get as serious as it is, understand how it can be prevented from happening again in the future, and keep it under scrutiny. Even though we cannot do investigations and question people, we have the right to ask questions of all government organisations, find the culprits, and hold them accountable.
We must ask the Director of the Water Supply and Sewage Authority, currently S.Unen, why the central waste treatment facility has not received any maintenance and repair. He would probably say that the previous directors could answer that question. But we still have to ask him what he has done to fix this problem. Also, the senior officials in this organisation have repeatedly been rewarded by the government. We need to ask, “For what?” The government that rewarded them should also answer this question.
We must ask the Mayor of Ulaanbaatar, currently E.Bat-Uul, whether or not he knew that the city was about to sink in its sewage and what actions he took to try to prevent it from happening. Obviously, he will point his finger at the previous mayors. However, if he had started imposing fees on “Zasianed” (illegally traded) land as soon as he was appointed, the city would have already accumulated enough funds to build a new treatment facility. At the very least he could have imposed fees on the land stolen from us and received payment if he could not reclaim the land.
We need to ask the government (currently led by Prime Minister Ch.Saikhanbileg) how they are viewing the current situation, who they are holding accountable, and how they are going to solve the problem. The government approved national programs named “Water” and “Khatan Tuul” in 2010 and in 2011 respectively. In 2012, they revised the law on water and passed the law regulating fees for polluting water. None of them have been implemented so far. Why bother making all these plans and programs if they cannot implement them?
We also need to ask the minister (currently D.Oyunkhorol, the Minister of Environment, Green Development, and Tourism) what particular measures are being taken. During ITB Berlin, Minister Oyunkhorol announced that Mongolia would receive one million tourists. But, do guests come to a home where a toilet is overflowing? While attending a discussion, she recently came up with a recommendation to build a new treatment facility. However, the events attended by a minister of the government should produce decisions rather than recommendations. What is her decision? What is her solution? What does the Tuul River Basin Authority actually do?
We need to ask the President (currently Ts.Elbegdorj). During international conferences, our president has called for having an international organisation specialised in water issues. But, who is in charge of water in Mongolia? The President has been telling the whole world how to save water. What about the situation in his home country and the capital city? Can a city that is about to sink in its own sewage host the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in a year? Is Mongolia ready if a disease breaks out due to water pollution? Mr. President, action is needed more than words.
The national government exists to protect our lives, freedom, and property. The local government has the same responsibility in provinces. We hold democratic elections to select both central and provincial government officials so that they can better fulfill their primary responsibilities. We do not ask them to put their personal interests above everything else, do a poor job, or fail to fix errors made before their time.
Having been unable to treat its wastewater, Ulaanbaatar is sinking in sewage. Having been unable to clean its dirty political parties, Mongolia is sinking in corruption.
You can catch a fish, gut it, scale it, and fry it in a pan. The fish will not make a sound, but the people are not like fish.