Integrated Water Resources Management in Central Asia – Model Region Mongolia (MoMo III)

In the last three decades, Mongolia has undergone a deep and very rapid transformation resulting from its transition from socialism to democracy and subsequent engagement in the market economy. This transformation has translated in significant changes of the Mongolian economy that include the rapid development of the mining sector and the expansion of livestock farming. These changes together with an increasing urbanization and climate change in turn have resulted in stunning socio-political and environmental changes.

For the Mongolian water sector, these changes have meant increased water pollution, insufficient water availability and an ever increasing water demand. The Mongolian government has adopted the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach in order to address these pressures and problems. Although legally adopted since 2004 and despite significant legal changes in 2012, there are still fundamental legal, political and financial shortcomings in the IWRM implementation process. These shortcomings include unclear mandates, lack of practical collaboration and coordination among different institutions at all levels (i.e. vertical and horizontal interplay and institutional fit), budgets that do not suffice institutional mandates, lack of stakeholder empowerment and participation, and the prioritization of economic interests over socio-environmental interests.