Mongolia is a land-locked country in northeast Asia, bordering the Russian Federation in the north and the People's Republic of China in the south. Stretching over more than one and a half million square kilometers, it is the most sparsely populated country in the world. Its capital and largest city, Ulaanbaatar, is home to almost half its population.
Mongolia is administratively divided into 21 provinces (Aimags) and 331 districts (soums). The capital city Ulaanbaatar is an administrative and territorial unit on its own.
Country Overview | Year | Figure |
---|---|---|
Population | 2021 | 3,347,782 |
Country Area (km2) | 2021 | 1,564,116 |
GDP (billion USD) | 2021 | 15.29 |
GDP per capita (USD) | 2021 | 4,566.1 |
World Bank Income Group | 2021 | Lower middle Income |
World Bank Region | 2021 | East Asia & Pacific |
Source: World Bank Data Mongolia
Water and Wastewater Sector Structure
Water and wastewater sector in Mongolia is shaped by the country’s peculiar geographical and demographic conditions, along with the specific way of life. Large country area, the remote location of communities and the semi-nomadic way of life prevent Mongolia from developing more centralized water supply systems and wastewater networks.
Centralized water supply and wastewater services exist only in larger urban centers, and not even completely. Approximately 40% of the population are connected to the piped water supply system, and the same number applies to municipal wastewater networks. Even though the urban population accounts to almost 70% of the total population, many of these people live in peri-urban areas that do not have any centralized water and wastewater infrastructure. Most of them live in informal settlements filled with traditional non-permanent ger structures, where organizing public services including water and wastewater is still very problematic.
The scale of this problem in the capital city, Ulaanbaatar, is large and illustrative for the rest of the country. The USUG, municipal water and wastewater utility serves urban populations who live in city apartments and houses through piped water and wastewater systems. On the other hand, informal ger areas are served by trucks that deliver water and there is no organized wastewater system.
The capital city and most of the province (aimag) centers have centralized water systems and wastewater networks. Urban authorities/local governments are responsible for operation and provision of water and wastewater services which are generally commissioned to public utility service organizations. They are semi-privatized organizations working on management contracts based on operation and maintenance (O&M) tariffs.
Authority | Level | Role |
---|---|---|
Ministry of Environment and Tourism | National | Main responsible for the development of water policy and programs in Mongolia. It’s responsible for organizing implementation of drinking water supply programs in collaboration with the relevant state administrative central organizations. |
Ministry of Construction and Urban Development | National | Responsible for centralized water supply and wastewater treatment in the capital city, as well as province and district centers. |
Ministry of Health | National | Responsible for the formulation of public health policy, water quality, environmental sanitation and hygiene. |
Water Services Regulatory Commission (WSRC) | National | Water regulatory authority responsible for setting water service tariffs, water supply and sewerage use, service tariffs and licensing legal entities. |
National Water Committee | National | A governmental body that coordinates and integrates the activities of the water related ministries. The Head of the Committee is the Minister of Environment and Tourism. |
Water Agency | National | Responsible for an assessment of the use of water to large water user organizations, assessment of the available resources and an assessment for wastewater disposal. |
Local Governments | Local | Responsible for the provision of water supply and wastewater services. |
The Water Services Regulatory Commission (WSRC) was established in 2012 under the Law on Utilization of Urban Settlements’ Water Supply and Sanitation. The WSRC’s responsibilities are defined as “determining water service charge and tariff on utilization and service of water supply and sewage, and for issuing special licenses to legal entities and making professional recommendations and decisions.”
The national government has ownership of water and wastewater infrastructure, but the local government is responsible for raising funds to cover capital, operation and maintenance (O&M), and repair costs. The WSRC is issuing licenses for a variety of different operation and maintenance categories, from O&M of facilities for water supply, and drinking water distribution networks to O&M of wastewater collection networks to wastewater treatment facilities.
Mission
To make an optimal arrangement for efficient, sustainable, and environmentally friendly development of guaranteed, equitable, and accessible water services that meet the Sustainable Development Goals of Mongolia and meet Mongolian human rights.
Water and Wastewater Regulations
Legislation and Policies | Year | Description |
---|---|---|
Water Law | 2004 | Regulated relations on effective use, protection, and restoration of water and water basins, as well as powers and responsibilities of authorities involved in the sector. |
Water Law | 2012 | Introduced several concepts important to integrated water resource management, as well as opening the way for the engagement of the private sector in water management activities (state corporations and public-private partnerships). |
Law on Utilization of Urban Settlements’ Water Supply and Sanitation | 2011 | Regulates all water supply and wastewater procedures and efforts. It also governs the issues associated with the ownership and operation of facilities for supplying urban settlement users with clean water as per standard requirements, as well as disposing of and treating wastewater. It led to the establishment of the WSRC and determined its roles and responsibilities. |
Water Pollution Fee Law | 2019 | Aims to reduce the volume of wastewater and level of pollutants in effluent sent to the central wastewater treatment plant. |
Areas of Regulation
Areas of Regulation | Water Services Regulatory Commission (WSRC) |
Tariff Calculation | Yes |
Tariff Approval | Yes |
Licensing Water and/or Wastewater Service Providers | Yes |
Business plans approvals | No |
Performance indicators monitoring | Yes |
Economic Data Collection | Yes |
Technical Data Collection | Yes |
Utility | Date | Tariff |
---|---|---|
Ulaan Baatar | 2022 | Tariff |
A more complete list of tariffs can be found at IBNET Tariff Database - Mongolia