Climate change severely affects Mongolia. By the last census which took place in 2004, in total 683 rivers, 1484 springs and 760 small lakes and ponds were dried up. This harsh situation creates a shortage in water supply in the countryside and results in reducing pastureland utilization rate that in its turn brings pastureland degradation problem in many places.
This grant was given to assist an NGO and a community to realize their initiative on transforming degraded land into an artificial pond in order to prevent pollution of Herlen International River from high-iron content water extracted from Baganuur coal mine as well as to restore ecological balance in the area.
A 100 meter long dam has been built to accumulate coal mine contaminated water and to make an artificial pond to restore surrounding ecosystem. In the spring of 2005 the dam was filled full with water. However, water in the dam was slowly infiltrated down over the summer as the land area was dry over the last 20 years. As ground water experts say some time is needed to saturate the ground/soil under the dam.
Beneficiaries from the project are Herlen International River, local herder families and surrounding ecosystem as a whole.