The Mongolian government is set to step up efforts to reduce air pollution in Ulaanbaatar weeks into a public health crisis that has left large parts of the capital city shrouded in thick smog.

Officials say the high levels of air pollution could be caused by briquettes burned by some residents to heat their homes. The briquettes, made by Tavan Tolgoi Fuel, are being quality tested in laboratories abroad. 

The government has, meanwhile, drawn up a list of activities to cut air pollution, including curbing vehicle use, improving home insulation and expanding the use of natural gas to reduce reliance on coal.

Ulaanbaatar has grappled with wintertime air pollution for decades. The point source for most of the smoke is thousands of chimneys poking out of private homes in so-called ger districts. These unplanned neighbourhoods sprawl in every direction and lack central heating, so the only way to fend off the bitter cold in winter is by burning coal in stoves.

Massive Soviet-era coal-fired power plants are to blame for a significant part of the smog (Credit: Chinneeb, cc-by-sa 4.0).

Smog also comes from the city’s massive Soviet-era coal-burning power plants, which work overtime in winter to heat and provide power to apartments across the city, and from vehicle exhaust emissions. According to government statistics, 55.6% of the smog comes from the ger districts, 28.9% from vehicles and 15.5% from heating boilers, power plants and other sources.

Ulaanbaatar is the world’s coldest capital. Nighttime temperatures in winter can dip below minus 30 Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit). On the coldest days, particulate matter-2.5 (PM-2.5) air pollution levels are 27 times the level that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends as safe.

Processed briquettes became available to the public a few years ago. They gave residents an alternative to raw coal, an initiative that helped to improve air quality in ger districts. But the smog has come back with a vengeance this winter.

The dangerous PM levels, which regularly reach over 400 (hazardous) on the air quality index in some parts of the city, have sparked public protests, with calls for government accountability. An online petition demanding that officials act was signed by over 71,000 people. 

At a cabinet meeting late last month, Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai ordered ministers to step up efforts to reduce pollution. Officials visited the soot-filled Tavan Tolgoi briquette processing plant in the Gobi Desert, and identified in a report the challenging conditions and high levels of dust inside the plant. 

The Oyun-Erdene cabinet has since increased efforts to limit coal burning and vehicle use. Police have been ordered to crack down on illegal imports of raw coal. A freeze on issuing licence plates for imported cars is also in place.

A group of cabinet members and other officials recently announced a series of other measures they said would help reduce air pollution. Orders were issued to remove coal-burning furnaces from schools in some areas and replace them with gas furnaces.

Natural gas is mainly methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. It is, however, a relatively clean-burning fossil fuel that results in few air pollutants.

Another action plan will create “chimney-free zones”, with bans on wood or coal burning. The city aims to connect 40,000 homes to liquefied natural gas (LNG) lines in these areas. 

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).

Ulaanbaatar also wants to speed up construction projects that replace ger districts with apartment complexes. The city has already made some progress in this effort. The percentage 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.