June 21, 2024
ULAANBAATAR – In a significant development for disaster preparedness, UNICEF Mongolia, with the generous help from the Government of Japan (GoJ), handed over three units of high-capacity portable water pumps to National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), as part of the project “Improving Sanitation and Hygiene in Flood Vulnerable Communities to Improve Public Health”.
The handover event was organized today on June 17th, 2024, under the joint leadership of the Chief of NEMA, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Mongolia and UNICEF Representative to Mongolia.
This event was not just a transfer of equipment but symbolizes the commitment of UNICEF and Japan to strengthening Mongolia’s resilience against natural disasters. The pumps, featuring 316 SS Impeller and wear plates, boast low fuel consumption and compact engine sizes for efficiency. These fully automatic priming pumps are capable of running dry for extended periods due to their oil bath mechanical seal assembly, which allows priming with long suction hoses and suction lifts of up to 9 meters (28 feet).
Over the past decade, Mongolia has experienced a 1.5-fold increase in natural disasters, primarily due to climate change. The situation is exacerbated by poorly planned urban construction and blockage of watersheds, which slow water drainage due to the lack of proper drainage facilities in cities. In July last year, a flood impacted 128,100 people across 31,600 households, causing power and water outages in over a thousand buildings, damaging more than 20 roads, and severely limiting access to basic services for children and families. The flood also heightened the risk of infectious and waterborne diseases due to overflowing pit latrines and inadequate hygiene practices.
Despite of delivering heavy duty water pumps, the project will support construction of WASH facilities with sanitation system in flood prone areas and train 100 staff of state agencies and 1,000 health and education professionals on emergency response.