The salt and the sand used to melt the ice on roads come from inside Mongolia but the special snow melting substance is imported from China. According to the Environmental Pollution Management Department of the Mayor’s Office which is responsible for the import, each ton of this costs MNT590,000.

In comparison, one truckload of sand, which is approximately five tons, is bought for MNT60,000. The salt is bought from people in the Gobi regions for MNT160,000-MNT180,000 a ton. Despite its high price the special substance is said to be of low quality, and many feel it cannot be compared with what is used in Siberia.