1. Dr. Sarantuyaa Zandaryaa UNESCO International Hydrological Programme
GEF project “Integrated Natural Resource Management in the Baikal Basin Transboundary Ecosystem” UNESCO-executed activities under Output 1.4: “Review of water and sanitation in Mongolian municipalities in the Selenge River Basin, including the Kharaa River Basin pollution assessment”
Dr. Sarantuyaa Zandaryaa
UNESCO International Hydrological Programme

2. UNESCO-executed activities
UNESCO is an executing international partner for activities under:
Output 1.3: Assessment of groundwater resources in the Baikal Basin and groundwater-related transboundary issues
Output 1.4: Review and rank upgrade needs for Mongolian municipalities in Selenge River basin, including the identification of ongoing and planned water and sanitation projects, focusing on Kharaa River Basin pollution assessment
UNESCO-UNOPS Interagency Agreement was signed and became operational in September 2012.

3. Output 1.4: Scope of activities
A review and ranking of upgrade needs to improve water and sanitation in Mongolian municipalities in Selenge River Basin, including the identification of ongoing and planned water and sanitation projects
 A case-study on the Kharaa River Basin pollution assessment, including the assessment of pollution hotspots and threats

4. Output 1.4: Water and sanitation
A review and ranking of upgrade needs for Mongolian municipalities in Selenge River basin, including the identification of ongoing and planned water and sanitation projects:
A review of the current situation of water and sanitation in main cities and municipalities;
Evaluation of the capacity and efficiency of existing municipal wastewater treatment and sanitation facilities.
Review and ranking of the upgrade needs for improving municipal wastewater management.
An inventory of ongoing and planned water and sanitation projects
Development of strategies for the prevention, control and reduction of pollution from urban areas;

5. Output 1.4: Kharaa River Basin
 A case-study on the assessment of pollution hotspots and pollution threats in the Kharaa River Basin, with a specific focus on:
Human impacts on water quality in the basin
Major pollution threats to groundwater and surface water quality.
Pollution hotspots, including pollution sources and types and levels of selected main pollutants
Urban wastewater management, including the collection, treatment and disposal of municipal sewage, stormwater, urban runoff and solid waste
Negative impacts of water pollution on the sustainability of water resources in the basin, as well as on human health and ecosystems

6. Output 1.4: Expected outcomes
Enhance knowledge and information on water pollution from urban areas and industrial operations
Develop and propose policy recommendations for integrated approaches to water, sanitation and wastewater in urban areas with the aim to prevent, control and reduce water pollution from municipalities, industrial areas and mining operations
Develop and propose policy recommendations and approaches to enhance water quality and ecosystems health with the aim to incorporate them as an integral part of existing national water strategies and policies
Increase public awareness of policy-makers, municipal authorities, industrial operators, and local communities on the impact of water pollution on human health and the environment;
Strengthen cooperation between Mongolia and Russia on the management of transboundary water pollution
Strengthen national capacities to protect and enhance water quality through policy advice, priority setting, and awareness raising.

7. National and international partners
Key national partners and national experts identified
Kharaa River Basin pollution assessment
Team of experts/consultants recommended through the National Water Committee and Ministry of Environment and Green Development
Review of water and sanitation in the Selenge River Basin
Experts/consultants recommended by the Ministry of Construction and Urban Development
International partner
Project office of the German-funded MoMo project on “Integrated Water Resources Management for Central Asia”

8. Activities and progress to date: 2012
Detailed workplan for the implementation of activities developed: September 2012
Coordination and consultation meetings held to identify potential national partners: November-December 2012
Ministry of Environment and Green Development
Ministry of Construction and Urban Development
National Water Committee
Mongolian Academy of Sciences and Geo-ecology Institute
Advisor on Ecology and Environmental Policy to the President of Mongolia
Mongolian IHP National Committee for UNESCO-IHP

9. Activities and progress to date: 2013 (as of March)
National consultants contracted
Activities initiated and underway (being carried out)
Outlines of reports developed
Collection of existing data and information
Identification of main issues and problems
Discussion with key stakeholders
Analysis of the data and information
Drafting of reports
Preliminary findings compiled for presentation at the TDA workshop of the project (April 2013)

10. Activities and progress to date: 2013 (as of March)
A scoping meeting organized in March 2013
The meeting was attended by more than 20 participants representing:
National Water Committee
Ministry of Environment and Green Development
Ministry of Health
Ministry of Construction and Green Development
Tuul River Basin Authority
Central Laboratory of Environmental Monitoring
Inspection and Monitoring Authority
Hydro-Eco Complany Ltd.
Mongolia Water Forum
Interim progress reports prepared in March 2013

11. Next steps and main outputs
Preparation of the draft final reports – end of May 2013
A national multi-stakeholder workshop – 04 June
All relevant stakeholders from the relevant sectors will be invited
The main purpose of the workshop is to discuss the findings of the studies with relevent stakeholders, including Ministries, government agencies, local authorities, basin organizations, research institutions, non-governmental organizations, and the prviate sector
Draft final reports of the two components/studies will be presented and discussed at the workshop
Draft final reports will be revised to incorporate the discussion and comments raised during the workshop
Finalization of the final reports – mid-June

12. Budget Output 1.3 Output 1.4 Total Consultants
Total allocation received to date: 175,000 USD
Output 1.3 – 140,000 USD
Output 1.4 – 35,000 USD
Output 1.3
Output 1.4
Total
Consultants
78,200 (4 national consultants, 1 coordinator)
17,200 (national consultants)
95,400
Travel, including meetings
48,000 (two expert group meetings, participation in SC meeting
14,300 (coordination and scoping meetings)
62,300
Miscellaneous
1,000 (purchase of maps) -
1,000
Total expenditure to date
127,200
31,500
158,700

13. Preliminary findings
Water and sanitation in Mongolian Municipalities in the Selenge River Basin

14. Scope of activities
Review and rank upgrade needs of water and sanitation for Mongolian municipalities in Selenge River basin will include:
A review of the current situation of water and sanitation in main cities and municipalities;
Evaluation of the capacity and efficiency of existing municipal wastewater treatment and sanitation facilities.
Review and ranking of the upgrade needs for improving municipal wastewater management.
An inventory of ongoing and planned water and sanitation projects
Development of strategies for the prevention, control and reduction of pollution from urban areas

15. Background The most densely-populated region of the country
The biggest cities of the country: Ulaanbaatar (capital city), Darkhan, Erdenet, Zuunkharaa and some bigger towns
A highly industrial region with large industries
A copper and molybdenium in Erdenet
A metallurgical factory in Darkhan
Agriculture and mining sectors are more developed
Selenge province is the heart of Mongolia’s agricultural sector
A highly-polluted and ecologically-damaged region
Impacts of human activities (urbanization, rapid economic development, increased agricultural activities, mining, etc.)
Access to water and sanitation is high compared to the rest of the country , especially in urban areas.

16. Implementation of the MDG on Water and Sanitation in Mongolia

17. Access water supply at the national level

18. Population served by improved water supply

19. Bacteriological data of centralized drinking water sources which did not meet water quality standards
Bacteriological data of non-centralized drinking water sources which did not meet water quality standards

20. Access to sanitation at the national level

21. Percentage of improved sanitation at the national level

22. Wastewater management
Only over 30 percent of the total population is connected to central sewerage systems
Over 100 wastewater treatment plants at the national level, of which about 30 percent is fully operational
The effluent treatment level of wastewater treatment plants is low, especially in winter due to difficult operation conditions of biological treatment processes

23. Selenge River sub-Basin

24. Selenge River sub-Basin: Administration

25. Access to water supply in Selenge province
69.1% of population Selenge aimag has access improved to water supply

26. Access to sanitation in Selenge province

27. Assessment of sanitation in SRB
Percentage of the population using unimproved sanitation facilities
Pit latrines
Open defecation
Public sanitation facilities
Access to sewage
No sanitation facilities
No sewage system
National level
62.81
64.62
18.89
12.91
24.87
0.00
52.49
Arkkangai
84.07
75.05
42.36
22.94
61.79
36.18
Bulgan
81.53
76.95
33.33
20.67
45.98
51.61
Uvurkhangai
83.94
59.69
42.26
38.17
46.36
51.44
Selenge
69.32
79.39
19.58
6.58
32.59
53.23
Tuv
79.61
69.73
37.27
24.03
50.50
43.17
Khuvsgul
79.63
88.12
22.53
10.56
34.50
64.16
Darkhan-Uul
39.74
48.77
7.34
1.88
12.80
37.62
Ulaanbaatar
48.36
62.12
4.42
1.00
7.85
55.04
Orhon
46.19
58.24
3.70
2.15
5.24
55.08

28. Water supply and sanitation in Darkhan

29. Water supply and sanitation in Sukhbaatar (Selenge)

30. Next steps Updated interim report: end of April
Draft final report: mid-May
A national multi-stakeholder workshop: 04 June
The draft final report will be presented at the workshop and discussed with all relevant stakeholders from the relevant sectors
The draft final report will be revised to incorporate comments from the national workshop
Final report: 10 June

31. Case-study on Kharaa River Basin (Mongolia) pollution assessment
Preliminary findings
Case-study on Kharaa River Basin (Mongolia) pollution assessment

32. Scope of activities Water quality assessment in the basin
Identification of major pollution threats to groundwater and surface water quality
Identification and assessment of pollution hotspots, including the identification of point and diffuse pollution sources and the evaluation of types and levels of selected main pollutants and their potential impact on water quality
Evaluation of the present status of urban wastewater and solid waste management in a major city(ies) in the Basin, specifically municipal and industrial wastewater and mining effluents
Evaluation of transboundary pollution transport and pollution risks (type, toxicity, resistance and amount of pollutants) of transboundary water resources

33. Background: The Selenge River Basin (Mongolia)
The Selenge (Selenga) River is the principal source of Baikal Lake responsible for 60% of water inflow
The Selenge River is the biggest river system of Mongolia with order of 9.
The total basin area of the Selenge river is km2
of which, km2 is located within Mongolian territory
which is about 66% of the total basin area of the river.
The length of the Selenge River within Mongolian territory is km with a mean slope of
The river channel density is 0.38km/km2 and the mean basin elevation is 1500

34. The major rivers in the Selenge River BasinNo
River
Basin area
(km2)
River length
(m)
Mean slope
(%)
Mean basin elevation (m)
Total length of river network
River network density (km/km2)
River order 1
Selenge
1095
0.0019
1500
107692,8
0.38 9 2
Ider
465
0.0047
1780
0.99 7 3
Delgermuren
439.7
0.0035
1921
8002.3
0.43 6 4 Eg
509.5
0.0016
1624
0.35 5
Orkhon
1124
0.0020
1300
0.23 8
Tuul
898
0.0015
Kharaa
352
0.004
1272
5358.8
0.37
Eroo
388
1320
5735.4
0.53

35. Chemical composition of water the Selenge River Basin
According to the Piper diagram and classifications of O. A. Alekin:
in a vast majority of the cases the order of abundance of cations is Ca2+>Na-+K- >Mg2+
but the exception is that Na-+K- ions can be dominant during a low water period and dry year.
The order of abundance of anions is HCO3->SO42->Cl-.

36. Annual mean concentrations of total dissolved salts and major ions in the rivers
TDS,
Ca2+
Mg2+
Na++K+
HCO3-
SO4--
Cl-
mg/L
Selenge
222.9
32.8
8.0
23.3
159.6
19.4
7.6
Ider
162.2
25.2
6.8
14.0
104.6
14.1
7.9
Delgermuren
254.5
39.3
9.2
20.0
185.6
17.9 Eg
256.7
31.2
11.4
20.8
170.0
11.0
8.8
Orhon
226.1
26.6
8.9
25.7
142.7
18.5
10.8
Kharaa
282.3
29.5
11.9
32.1
161.3
27.4
14.3
Eree
128.9
14.5
4.8
15.5
85.7
11.2
6.4

37. Annual mean concentrations nutrients in river water in the rivers
NH4
NO3
PO4 Si
Permanganate
Value
BOD O2
Hardness
as Ca 2++Mg 2+ pH
Selenge
0.255
0.670
0.045
5.9
4.3
2.2
10.4
2.4
7.8
Ider
0.305
0.753
0.035
4.6
1.5
1.9
7.5
Delgermuren
0.239
0.721
0.046
8.6
3.9
3.1
9.6
2.8 Eg
0.201
0.505
0.034
4.2
3.2
7.7
Orkhon
0.299
0.457
0.040
6.2
4.1
2.7
1.8
7.6
Haraa
0.261
0.295
0.030
9.3
Eree
0.224
0.311
0.015
5.5
4.0
11.1
2.6

38. Changes of BOD in the Selenge River Basin

39. Changes of COD in the Selenge River Basin

40. The Kharaa River Basin
The Kharaa River Basin is located north of Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar and south of Lake Baikal.
The Kharaa discharges together with the Orhon River into the Selenge River together forming the major inflow into Lake Baikal.
The basin of the Kharaa River covers an area of km2 that is partly mountaineous and largely covered by taiga and steppe. At its outlet, the 362 km Kharaa River has a mean long-term annual discharge of 12.1 m3/s

41. Water quality in Kharaa River Basin: Headwaters and in the mountains
The headwaters of the Kharaa River are near the natural background conditions.
The quality of surface waters in the mountainous region of the Kharaa River Basin is good.
Low nutrient concentrations
Total solids concentrations range from 17–60 mg/L
Very low chloride concentrations of 2-4 mg/L
Heavy metal concentrations are almost below the detection limit.

42. Water quality in Kharaa River Basin: Middle and lower reaches
The quality of surface waters in the middle and lower reaches of the Kharaa river basin shows a certain level of degradation:
Increased nutrient levels
The total dissolved solids concentrations are as high as mg/L
Chloride concentrations increase to the range of mg/L.
Heavy metal concentrations show increased levels, but most of them being lower or near to the allowed maximum concentration.

43. Primary findings of pollution assessment: Sources of pollution - Agriculture
Livestock from intensive farming sites watering directly at the river bank leading to fecal contamination and direct nutrient inputs to the river water by animal manure.
Soil erosion by extensive tillage for cereal production in the sub-basins of Kharaa III, Kharaa II and Zagdelin Gol.
The furrows of arable land are often in direction of the steepest slope gradient thus enhancing the erosion process.

44. Primary findings of pollution assessment: Sources of pollution - Mining
There are releases of mercury, arsenic, cyanide and zinc by gold mining activities with high impact to ground water quality
Waste-water and sludge from the mining operation of the Boroo gold mine is stored in a reservoir behind a dam
A leakage would have dramatic impact on surface water contamination of the Boroo Gol, a tributary of the Kharaa River.

45. Primary findings of pollution assessment: Sources of pollution - Urban wastewater
Darkhan: wastewater treatment is operating.
Zuunkharaa: wastewater treatment plant is operating since and has no direct outlet to the Kharaa river
Salhit: wastewater treatment plant belongs to the railway company. It provides only a mechanical and simple biological cleaning process and discharges directly to the Kharaa river
Khongor (Baruunkharaa): Wastewater treatment plant is operating with a mechanical treatment

46. Next steps Updated interim report: end of April
Draft final report: end of May
A national multi-stakeholder workshop: 04 June
The draft final report will be presented at the workshop and discussed with all relevant stakeholders from the relevant sectors
The draft final report will be revised to incorporate comments from the national workshop
Final report: 10 June