Mongolian President Elbegdorj Tsakhia on Tuesday appealed to the public and officials to tackle air pollution in capital Ulan Bator.
"Today air pollution, smog hovering over Ulan Bator has reached disaster level. Let all of us, including the parliament, government and public, get involved in solving this problem," Tsakhia said during a meeting with parliamentary leaders, lawmakers and officials to discuss air pollution that is threatening the capital city.
Tsakhia asked officials to cooperate with professional organizations and enact relevant laws and regulations to deal with air pollution.
Currently, three thermal power stations are burning five million tons of coal, and over 250 low-pressure boilers are using 400 tons of coal per year in the capital. Besides, 170,000 households burn thousands of tons of coal during the winter.
All these have caused serious air pollution in Ulan Bator, with its streets covered with thick haze and smog generated by households and power plants.