Ulaanbaatar
Prime Minister works at Environment and Tourism Ministry
Politics
Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. Some requests, such as to establish tourism fund, set up Forest Agency, protect the Khuvsgul Lake, provide support for resolving necessary funding for tackling its pollution, spend revenues from the mining royalty fees only for environment and nature protection measures, have been forwarded to the Prime Minister U.Khurelsukh during his visit to the Ministry on October 30.
While working at the ministry, the Prime Minister gave an order to take attention on some issues, including to gradually launch land rehabilitation on over 30,000 land area, manage issues concerning proper uses of natural reserves and land rehabilitation, cooperate with international organizations, if necessary, to remove over 50 vehicles that were submerged in the Khuvsgul Lake since 1950s, solve issues regarding the Tuul River’s pollution, coordinate the activities of the National Committee for the reduction of air pollution, government organizations, public and business entities with a view to reduce air pollution by 80 percent, build a waste facility through public-private partnership, and give attention to see tangible results from tourism development projects, etc.
The Ministry of Environment and Tourism officials also introduced the Prime Minister about actions and measures that have been taken in the sector. For example, the Ministry has commissioned apartment buildings for 16 families for the staff of the Hustai National Park of a nature reserve. Also, 3,000 ha lands were gone under technical rehabilitation and 1,500 under biological rehabilitation between 2016 and 2019. Among them, land rehabilitation is currently being performed in Tsenher soum, of Arkhangai aimag for the first time. 44 mining and exploration licenses held by 33 companies, who failed to perform their duties of land rehabilitation and environment preservation, were revoked.
The Ministry of Environment is now aiming to supply 21 aimags and 6 state protected area administrations with waste recycling, sorting and transport equipment.
In the next 4 years, following goals are set by the Ministry in the environment and tourism industry;
- Reduce Ulaanbaatar air pollution by up to 80 percent
- Build refined coal briquette factories at least in 5 aimags
- Take measures within ‘Eco-Toilet’
- Generate energy from waster
- Rehabilitate 8,000 ha of land areas
- Increase forest area to 8.6 percent
- Take 55 percent of water reserves and headwaters under state protection
- Decrease pollution problems at the bottom of the Khuvsgul Lake
- Increase the number of tourists to 1 million.
