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Conference
Water Issues under Discussion

On the initiative of the President of Mongolia, several specialist conferences on various water problems in the country were held from March 20 to 24, followed by a national conference entitled “Blue Gold”.

The events were organized by the Presidential Office, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Water Agency. Over 800 representatives from governmental and non-governmental institutions, the scientific community, the private sector of the water industry and international organizations active in Mongolia exchanged views on current problems.

 

The following topics in particular were discussed under the slogan “Accelerate the change”:

 

  • 'Groundwater reserves - current challenges',
  • 'Surface water reserve - the current challenges',
  • 'Legal situation in the water industry - the current challenges'

The HSS environmental project was involved in the organization of the third conference on “The legal situation of the water sector - current challenges”. During the conference, discussions focused on the need to modernize the law, the protection of catchment and forest areas from mining activities, the protection of water resources and protection against pollution. The Ministry of the Environment, the relevant authorities and international organizations were called upon to play an active role in improving the legal situation of the water sector.

 

Mr. Felix Glenk emphasized that in the light of the fight against global warming, the protection of water resources was the focus of the global public and that the communication of environmental awareness to the population should already be anchored in the school curriculum.  

 

Almost 77% of Mongolia suffers from desertification. According to statistics from 2022, 362 rivers, streams, lakes, ponds and other water sources have dried up. Desertification threatens national security. Now is the time to discuss this situation.

 

During the national conference, the topics covered by the specialist conferences were presented in a bundled form. The conference resulted in a summary with recommendations that were passed on to the responsible authorities. Implementation will be monitored in stages. According to the summary, the Water Act, the Act on Fees for Water Use, the Royalty Act for the Use of Natural Resources and the Act on the Protection of Catchment and Forest Areas from Mining Activities are to be comprehensively reformed.