The matches of the 21 Provinces’ Basketball League have been continuing in Ulaanbaatar’s Central Sports Complex. However, Wednesday’s match was special because all the athletes wore pollution masks, thereby bringing public attention to the deadliest danger facing the Mongolian capital.

Air pollution has become a major child health crisis in Ulaanbaatar, putting every child and pregnancy at risk. Pneumonia is now the second leading cause for the death of children under the age of five in the country. Also, a shocking statistic is that children living in a highly polluted district of central Ulaanbaatar are found to have a 40 percent lower lung function than those from rural areas.

The Mongolian capital is surrounded by hills; on the north side are the so-called ger (yurt) districts. In these shanty towns where over half of the city’s population live, during the winter affordable cheap coal is used for cooking and warmth. The smog resulting from the freezing temperatures and thick smoke drifts down to the lower city. The smoke is high in ash and particulate matter (PM), which settles in people’s lungs. As long ago as 2009, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), stated that the air pollution problem costs Mongolia 4% of its GDP. Ten years later. it is acknowledged that the air pollution problem is even worse.

Following the 21 Provinces’ Basketball League, the National Basketball League will take place in January, 2019.