PROJECT NAME: ADB TA 9440-MON: Implementing Innovative Approaches for Improved Water Governance
About the project
Mongolia is a vast landlocked country, bordered by China and Russia and comprising about 80 steppe. Despite a relatively sparse population, a lack of updated water management combined with climate change, increased industrial activity and urban expansion in the capital Ulaanbaatar has led to serious pressure on water sources. Hundreds of lakes and rivers have already dried up and desertification of land has been affecting regions in the South and around the Gobi desert. Many households rely on untreated groundwater which may be contaminated.
To respond to these challenges, the implementing innovative approaches for water governance project aims to improve the national structure and regulatory framework of water governance through developing policy recommendations, river basin plans and capacity building activities.
Water laws and regulations will be updated to address current issues such as surface and groundwater scarcity, pollution from industrial activity, poor wastewater treatment and sanitation, ecosystem degradation and ageing infrastructure. Relevant stakeholders such as river basin authorities and committees and government officials will be trained and given tools, criteria and scoring systems to continue effectively managing water resources as circumstances change over time.
