Dug Hole of Mining Covered Whole Mongolia Territory

(Translated by D. Ariungerel)

It seems like our government will do to messurement after dug hole and acumulated soil cover whole territory of Mongolia. Every day, discussion on mining rehabilitation goes on and on through mainstream media and daily news that gave a bad message to the community who are not concerning about it.  The dug hole and acumulated soil are everywhere...A plan of the every mining companies can be done due to a recommendation in environmental impact assessment such as how to recover a specific area and its nature which was used for exploration and exploitation purpose.

Environmental Impact Assessment has nothing to do with a real assessment. Environmental Impact Assessment Companies made a agreement with Mining companies, and the agreement is nothing but two institutions exchange their materials and money. No audit is around when mining companies submit materials.  EIA companies have good expereinces and skills that they can cheat it without effort, dependent on their ability. Selection of EIA companies seems like very easy: just select the EIA companies that have most experiences.

Nobody concerns about if a mining company uses EIA recommandation after EIA.  Sometimes State inspectors will monitor, in this case, the mining company will show them the EIA report, and then the inspectors shall report back that this company is good, they have EIA.  Such circle is already formed, and so Mongolian environment is getting degraded.

If a mining company earns money then this company is a good. Most companies have foreign bosses who have no idea of what is good rehabilitation, in this case, this is remunds me our old phrase such as "a divorsed wife do not concern about calves with cows". Because they have their own homeland, they only work and live in Mongolia for a certain period. So what they do is try to find more mine sources, make profit from them and then go back to their homeland.  Their State, Family and Relatives always wait for them to bring gifts back.

They have money or they can do fund-raising for treasure hunting because they do not worry about how Mongolian land will be degraded, and when we lost our treasure, they will find another new place which is not yet exploited by others where there is poor people at a corner of the world.  For them, this is the golden rule.

I have written in my prevouis article about Menen steppe where Mongolian gazelle used to grass around but now this steppe has dug hole with used oil after oil exploration.  Also, there are other empty holes dug by gold mining companies everywhere in Mongolia. I can never finish counting the amount of all these holes....

Furthermore, our young generation now see our environment from only poem "My homeland" by Natsagdorj.  I am afraid that if our environment loss continues that such a nice description of our environment would be left in the poem.

Even Mongolian people do not feel that "this is my country". For example: "Ninja" are people who are very undisciplined and dig the land after rehabilitation by mining companies. If someone tell them to stop, they will always fight back. They don't obey any rules.  Local administration did bring police to deal with them but a few days later, policemen became friends of them.  Government needs to take measurement to stop this.