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Flood risk rises dramatically due to warmer weather

  • By chagy5
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  • 2024-03-15
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Flood risk rises dramatically due to warmer weather

The Emergency Department of the capital city assessed the risk of flooding in Ulaanbaatar City. Accordingly, Bayanzurkh, Chingeltei, Songinokhairkhan, and Sukhbaatar districts are at very high flood risk, while other districts are at medium or low risk. Also, 3,947 objects in the capital city are possible to be affected by flash floods. Among them are 1,487 households. As part of the risk reduction activities, the Emergency Department of the capital informed that they are taking measures such as relocating some of those families, cleaning and strengthening the nearby dams and canals, and removing the ice that has closed the areas. For example, 350 employees of 20 enterprises and organizations worked with 235 equipment and as a result the employers transported 221,820 tons of ice.

Moreover, a citizen posted a video on his Facebook account saying that there was a flash water flood on the Dari-Ekh road on March 12 at 6:30 p.m. In this regard, the NEMA clarified, “There were no calls that households and enterprises were flooded. However, on March 13, a call was received about a truck that was stuck in water in the underpass of the new road to Takhilt from the 22 Tovchoo in the outskirts. When the officers of the Emergency Service Units of Ulaanbaatar City arrived, citizen B's truck was stuck in the flash water flooding, and pulled out of the water successfully.

The Emergency Department of Bayanzurkh District reported that “On March 12, at 11:09 p.m, we received a call saying that there was a possible flash flood situation in the first Division Middle Station road of Dari-Ekh.” According to the call, the head of the department, M.Purevjav and the Deputy Inspector General, E.Enkhbayar came to the place. There was no accumulation of water in the concave part of the road and no water flowing from other places. When the second committee went to investigate the situation in the same area, it was found that the first reason why the water overflowed from the part of Dari-Ekh spring where some measures were taken in November, was due to warmer temperatures in the recent days. The second factor was the melting of snow and ice coming from the nearby streets. “The Emergency Department of Bayanzurkh District has taken measures, such as to pump the water on the road with an eight ton garbage truck, and to block the Dund-Ekh spring again and divert the flow to another place” says the Emergency Department of Bayanzurkh District. 

Furthermore, as part of the prevention of the risk of possible floods, it has been decided to pay for the necessary expenses for the construction organization of temporary dams and trenches for the removal and transportation of ice in the areas of flooding in Ulaanbaatar City from the state fund. As a result of the floods that occurred in July and August in the capital Ulaanbaatar, there were flooding and flooding like situation in the 34 locations of 24 khoroos in Bayanzurkh, Chingeltei, Songinokhairkhan and Sukhbaatar districts due to the rise in the level of silt, mud and soil water. As mentioned above, there are 3,947 objects at the risk of being damaged by the ​​yellow water flood in Ulaanbaatar City. Out of those, 273 households have been prevented from the risk of water and ice flooding.

In addition, we are providing you with the current situation in rural areas. As part of the project “Strengthening flood risk management policy and the drainage infrastructure in rural areas” jointly implemented by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Disaster Risk Management Department of NEMA, a flood risk prevention was conducted in Darkhan-Uul Province using a high-precision device or LiDAR drone. The parties discussed the results of the two-month survey and determined the actions and measures to be taken in the future. Darkhan-Uul Province has implemented many activities in the past in the field of flood risk prevention. For example, 5,813 meters long flood dams were restored and renovated with 5.5 billion MNT in the nine locations of the province in 2021-2023. As a result, households that could have been affected by floods were prevented from the risks. It was emphasized that by analyzing the risks of natural disasters that can be estimated in advance and by using the technical devices efficiently in the future, the risk management can be optimally evaluated and managed beforehand. 

In fact, the LiDAR drones are used to accurately map underground utility lines. This detailed mapping is crucial for utility companies, city planners, and construction projects. Accurate utility mapping minimizes risks during excavation, reducing the potential for damage to critical infrastructure and utility disruptions. Also, the price can range from 7,000 USD to 150,000 USD depending on the type. 

 

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