Thoughts From Mongolia IV

Ulaanbaatar (UB) is the capital city in which approximately 40 percent of the country’s 2.6 million people reside. It is a very big city with severe traffic and air pollution problems. There are neither sufficient street signs nor signal lights and driving is an exercise in aggression. If you are not properly aggressive you wait, wait and wait some more in traffic. I thought that when I spent time working in Israel those drivers were aggressive but the Mongolians lead the pack. Crossing the street is an opportunity for prayer.

The air pollution in the city is terrible and getting worse. Driving from the airport into the city when I first arrived last week I saw a large coal burning power plant bellowing smoke. There are a total of three old coal powered plants within the city limits. Many of the cars are at least 7-10 years old and have no anti-pollution devices. The gas, imported from Russia, has high lead content. According to the United Nations Millennium Report for Mongolia the air pollution in Ulaanbaatar has reached levels potentially dangerous for the genetic pool of the population. Apparently the pollution is worse during the winter because the city sits in a bowl and the air inversions capture the toxic air. A lot of people have coughs and asthma is prevalent.