As winter approaches, so do the people in Ulaanbaatar,
who now number more than a million, begin to worry about the air pollution from
dust. Last winter and spring the amount of dust particles in the city was
sometimes 3 times more than the internationally accepted level. Dust storms are
now 4 times more frequent than in the 1960s.

Unplanned construction is the main reason of the dust
problem. In developed countries green parks and trees take up 50-70% of the
city area, while in Ulaanbaatar this is just 5%. Many of the trees planted
every year die because of lack of proper care. Also, according to experts,
trees from mountains do not   emit as
much oxygen as those that grow in lower heights do.

The main reason
behind the air pollution in Ulaanbaatar is the smoke from the three power
stations, which together burn 3.3 million tons of coal, from the heating plants
which burn 1,300 tons, and from the 0.7 million tons burnt in 136,000
households in the ger districts. Cars with old engines also emit toxic fumes
above acceptable levels. The dust residue from all this smoke damages the lungs
and the respiratory systems. This is why cases of allergy have significantly
increased and the number of children with respiratory problems keeps
increasing.

It is thus imperative for us to solve the dust problem,
but how shall we?