Ulaanbaatar has some 50,000 manholes for
its drinking water and sewage system, 37% of which are the responsibility of
the Mayor’s Office. It has been found that 275 manholes have no lid and Mayor
G.Munkhbayar recently ordered the situation to be rectified urgently. We asked
the Chief of the Engineering Structure Department of the Mayor’s Office,
L.Altangerel, how the work is going.

Have
you put lids on all manholes?

Our part of the work is complete but some
citizens, economic entities and state organizations are yet to cover the
manholes under them.

The problem is that homeless people live in
some 130 manholes and sell the lids, to get money as also to get easy access
and exit. No one should buy these lids and other metal items from unauthorized
sources.

Who
should be held responsible if a citizen falls into a lidless manhole?

The economic entities of the district have
to take the responsibility according to the law on energy.