Ulaanbaatar – 5 October 2022: UNDP is cooperating with the National Committee for Reducing Environmental Pollution (NCREP) through its European Union funded “Advancing Health and Environmental Sustainability Through Action on Pollution" project on the implementation of “CLEAN CHIMNEY - COZY WINTER” campaign. As part of the campaign’s activities, the UNDP project unit prepared pamphlets on how to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning at home and distributed them to the vulnerable residents in 71 khoroos of 7 districts who are living in some of the most polluted areas of Ulaanbaatar.

Coal burning is one of the main sources of heating for many in Ulaanbaatar and carbon monoxide poisoning could potentially occur due to the lack of proper sealing of stove and chimney as well as the clogging of the poorly maintained chimney. As carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, and tasteless substance, people often don’t detect its presence when exposed which leads to carbon monoxide poisoning and other serious health impacts including potential loss of lives.

Raising public awareness is one of the key steps to protect the residents against carbon monoxide poisoning; therefore, in collaboration with professional organizations, the UNDP project unit and its partners distributed the pamphlets to the vulnerable communities who have limited access to digital information. During the campaign, the NCREP will continue to distribute the pamphlets to target communities in 21 aimags in addition to Ulaanbaatar City with collaboration from the Departments of Environment and Tourism at each province.

The “CLEAN CHIMNEY - COZY WINTER” campaign which began on 2 September will continue for a month with the goal of reducing outdoor air pollution, improving indoor air quality, and preventing coal usage related health hazards through increased public awareness and creating proper life habits.

Project introduction: 👉 www.shorturl.at/cptU9

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For project or media-related inquiries, please contact:

Terelj Batbold | Technical Officer | UNDP Mongolia | Tel: 976-89005074 | Email: Terelj.batbold@undp.org 

Zulzaya Nyamkhuu | Communications officer | UNDP | Tel: 976-88054340 | Email: Zulzaya.Nyamkhuu@undp.org