The Ulaanbaatar City Council recently decided to relocate Zuun Ail’s building materials market in progressive stages in an effort to reduce traffic around the area and improve the environment. Statistics show that at least 100 people get examined at the National Dermatology Center and 900 people get services at the General Authority of Intellectual Property and Registration. Adding the number of people buying building materials and going to the Sukhbaatar Health Center and Gerontology Center, around 2,000 people commute through Zuun Ail in Sukhbaatar District each day. The large number of commuters around this area crowds not only Zuun Ail but increases traffic between Sansar petrol station bus stop, Bayanburd and the 32nd Roundabout by up to 30 percent, according to a specialist. They emphasized that the soil in Zuun Ail – the 11th khoroo in Sukhbaatar District – has eroded to the point it is endangering the lives and wellbeing of the residents. Over 1,000 businesses operate in Zuun Ail Over 1,000 individuals and businesses are reportedly operating along the one kilometer road stretching from the Second Children’s Hospital to the 32nd Roundabout. The Sukhbaatar District’s Tax Department reported that more than 800 registered and permitted individuals and companies are running a business in Zuun Ail. While 600 of them provide service at 21 centers, the rest build small buildings, sell construction materials, and manufacture windows, doors and wooded furniture outside. City officials complained that manufacturers operate on public property and park their vehicles on the first lane, causing heavy traffic in the area. They expect the heightened traffic to worsen as street vendors selling socks, insoles, slippers, gums and tobacco increase. Land specialists of Sukhbaatar District complained that many people are selling sand and gravel on the street around the 32nd Roundabout because of the building materials market and that the number of these vendors will probably grow in the future unless the government or city administration takes action to prevent it. Specialists speculate that building material enterprises are spreading to the 32nd Roundabout as buildings on either side of Zuun Ail don’t allow the market to expand to the east or west. It was reported that 50 individuals and companies sell sand and gravel from their trucks parked along the road. At this rate, the 32nd Round will soon turn into a “black market”, as described by city officials. In concern of the black market blocking roads to summer camps and houses of Ulaanbaatar residents located outside the capital, the Ulaanbaatar City Council believes it’s best to relocate the building materials market in Zuun Ail. High content of lead found in children’s blood Local residents are the victims suffering the most from the long absence of a proper land management in Zuun Ail. Road accessibility has become a major issue in this area because vendors have taken up most of the limited space with their storages. Randomly-placed storages and containers are the main reason the road along Baga Toiruu is still under construction despite starting almost simultaneously with the construction of Khangai Town. Khangai Town was commissioned almost three years ago. As many people occupy the small area and use latrines, the soil is facing serious pollution and erosion problems. “The soil pollution around the building materials market is high and moderate 100 meters from the market,” read a report by the Ulaanbaatar Specialized Inspection Agency. The extent of soil pollution is evident in the trash and wastewater affecting Zuun Ail as well as the pee stains on corners of buildings. Due to these reasons, the content of lead in nearby soils has exceeded the maximum permissible level. Last year’s heavy metals analysis found 27.3 micrograms of lead per kilogram in soil samples from Zuun Ail. An acceptable level of 600 part per million of lead in soil suggested as a “safe” level that would contribute no more than 0.05 part per million to total blood lead of children aged under 12. However, blood tests of 29 children living with disabilities and 153 children of Kindergarten No.186 and School No.116 in Zuun Ail indicated that 62 percent of them were exposed to lead contents higher than the maximum acceptable level. Vendors are willing to move out The majority of vendors and residents are showing support for the decision to relocate Zuun Ail’s building materials market because they understand that it’s the only option for resolving these challenges. “Most people selling things from containers on the streets are supporting this decision. Only the owners of large shopping centers might protest. People who do business outdoors are ready to move out,” said a street vendor in Zuun Ail. A business owner said, “Let’s be honest – nobody would want to run a business standing on the street amid Mongolia's extreme climate with drastic temperature swings. We would have no reason to reject if we’re asked to move to a new building where all building materials trade is centralized.” A carpenter and three people who make windows and doors also agreed that the building materials market should be moved outside of the capital. The only request they had for city officials was to prohibit operations of large building materials centers and open markets in the city to ensure fair play in the market. Some vendors and entrepreneurs stated that owners of large trade centers have held talks about the relocation of Zuun Ail’s market at every chance they got. They reportedly “brainwashed” small vendors to protest with them. A couple of street vendors stated that they used to follow these owners because they outnumbered them. “There are over 80 enterprises and about 60 individuals running businesses outdoors. I heard that there were more than 1,300 people working in Zuun Ail last year. This means that about 1,000 people rent booths at trade centers like Odkhon. If these people refused to move out, the few of us will have no choice but to comply,” said one of the vendors. He suggested city officials to negotiate with owners of trade centers and storage owners in the area if they really want to relocate the market. “They’re the only ones obstructing development projects aimed to improve the environment and living condition of Zuun Ail,” he added. Public properties to be vacated first A task force has been assigned to handle the relocation of Zuun Ail’s market by the Ulaanbaatar City Council. The task force plans to stop businesses operating on public property before the end of May as feasibility studies indicate that the project is viable. The second step will be relocating some building materials manufacturers to the Auto Trade Complex and Nalaikh’s Building Materials Industrial and Technological Park. The decision to provide a part of the Auto Trade Complex was made in consideration of people who want to renovate their home but are unable to travel far distances to find companies, as explained by the task force. Once the first tranche of the project is finished, intersections near Zuun Ail will be expanded. The task force plans to increase road lanes from four to six by August to improve road accessibility. Next year, old buildings will be reconstructed and a new trade center will be built. As a result, city officials hope to transform Zuun Ail into a residential town and ensure their residents have a job and stable income. Leader of the task force Ch.Gantulga says, “Our task force has been working for over two months. We have presented our report to the Ulaanbaatar City Council. The council instructed us to relocate the market before the end of the third quarter of this year. The relocation will be carried out in three stages. People making a living from working there will not be chased away.” “The first stage is to free public areas, expand roads, and build parking for 200 cars on each side of the road. Next, old trade centers will be demolished to build a large shopping center that will provide comfortable working conditions for vendors and meet international standards. In return for vacating their land, venders will get the chance to expand their business and work under better conditions. In the future, building material trades will be allowed at the Auto Trade Complex, Belkh Market and Zuun Ail but factories will be moved outside the city,” he clarified. Believing that they will get a better working space, venders of Zuun Ail’s building materials market are willing to move outside the city.