Mongolian women protest against air pollution

Hundreds of Mongolian women took to the streets here Monday to vent their frustration over the capital's inability to reduce air pollution.

The women, who were protesting in the city's central square, demanded that the president announce a state of emergency in Ulan Bator and hold his cabinet meeting in Bayankhoshuu slum district, which is most affected by air pollution.

"We require the government to reduce air pollution by 80 percent by 2018. Our children often get sick during the winter due to air pollution. We can't continue like this," said Purevkhuu Tserendorj, one of the organizers and the mother of two children.

Mongolia has a long winter of six months. More than 300,000 households (800,000 residents) living in slum districts of the capital known as Ger districts have to burn raw coal and other inflammables such as plastics and old tire rubber to stay warm and make meals during this period.

As a result, Ulan Bator is now one of the most polluted cities in the world with an average PM2.5 level that is seven times higher than the World Health Organization standard.

The Mongolian government, international donors and development organizations have spent millions of dollars on programs aiming to reduce the air pollution since 2000, including measures such as developing and distributing fuel-efficient stoves, chimneys and fuel briquettes that produce less smoke.

However, analysts said that these past efforts haven't substantially reduced air pollution, which remains about the same as 15 years ago.

Last week, the Mongolian government said that households in the slum area will be exempted from paying for nighttime electrical use, encouraging households to use electrical heaters during cold winter nights. Endi