Processed fuel use up sharply in Mongolia's capital amid lockdown www.xinhuanet.com
Consumption of processed fuel has increased by 41 percent in Mongolia's capital Ulan Bator in December compared with the same month last year due to the COVID-19 lockdown, the city's Specialized Inspection Agency (SIA) said Thursday.
This is because the majority of Ulan Bator's residents have stayed indoors due to the COVID-19 lockdown and burned a lot of processed fuel to keep warm, the SIA said in a statement.
To curb air pollution, Mongolia in 2019 replaced low-grade coal with processed fuel only in Ulan Bator, which is home to over half of the country's population of 3.3 million.
Around 220,000 households live in Ulan Bator's ger (yurt, or round-shaped dwelling) districts, with no running water, central heating or sewerage systems, according to government data.
As of Thursday, Mongolia has confirmed a total of 1,069 COVID-19 cases, including 627 locally transmitted ones.
The Mongolian government reimposed lockdown measures in Ulan Bator starting Wednesday to Jan. 6 to curb resurging local COVID-19 cases.
The Asian country's first round of local transmissions was detected in early November, when a woman tested positive after her husband returned from Russia.
The incident triggered a nationwide lockdown that was later extended in Ulan Bator and provinces of Selenge and Arkhangai until Dec. 11.
The country has recorded 584 recoveries and no related deaths so far. Enditem
Published Date:2020-12-24