source: Chicago Tribune

Mongolians are buying more efficient coal-fired stoves to help reduce the pollution in Ulaanbaatar. The program to subsidize these stoves is part of a larger effort by the government and donor organizations to clean up the air in the world's smoggiest city.

The extensive pollution in Mongolia has instigated a health crisis. Apparently one in every 10 deaths can be attributed to health problems caused by the poor air quality in the city.

“The pollution problem becomes apparent to anyone who lands at the airport in winter,” said Courtney Engelke, a representative of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a U.S. organization. “You can see it on approach. It's a very dark brown smog over the city.”

Engelke added that she found the ger districts in the capital intolerable. When visiting those areas she felt a shortness of breath and a choking sensation.

To combat this problem, the government is subsidizing news stoves to encourage Mongolian families to swap out their old models. The subsidies from the MCC and the government bring down the price of these stoves from MNT 325,000 to just MNT 25,000. The stoves utilize circulate air to allow the coal to burn longer than traditional stoves and need only one-third as much coal. Most of the dust from the coal is burned up inside the stove, reducing exhaust from the stove pipe by four-fifths.

The MCC hopes to sell an additional 80,000 stoves during the final two years of the project. In addition old stoves are destroyed so they will not be used by another family. The MCC is also offering better insulating options for the walls and doors to gers. Trees will be planted in the ger districts as well. The MCC is spending USD 50 million on its project with additional commitments made by the government.