Over two days in April, the World Bank Country office in Mongolia, in association with the Water Authority and the Umnogovi Provincial government, held workshops in Dalanzadgad and Ulaanbaatar. The workshops highlighted the importance of groundwater and its management in Southern Mongolia.

Groundwater is the only reliable source of water for the 150,000 residents of Southern Mongolia’s three Gobi provinces. Improved management is required to ensure that development in the region, in particular mining, can occur without endangering the supply to local communities and the nomadic livestock herders that live in the desert.

The workshops stressed the critical importance of and its role in the proposed long-term mining activities. The primary objective was to elevate awareness of the key issues through presentations and discussions about groundwater in the region, the importance of proper management, and requirements to successfully manage this limited resource. International experiences were used to illustrate the pitfalls of moving ahead without appropriate management structures in place, and the benefits of effective management.

Монгол