MONGOLIA: SUCCESSIVE SEVERE DROUGHTS FORCE THOUSANDS OF HERDING FAMILIES FROM WESTERN MONGOLIA TO DESERT THEIR LANDS AND MIGRATE TOWARDS THE CITIES

Record ID: 831894

  • Title: MONGOLIA: SUCCESSIVE SEVERE DROUGHTS FORCE THOUSANDS OF HERDING FAMILIES FROM WESTERN MONGOLIA TO DESERT THEIR LANDS AND MIGRATE TOWARDS THE CITIES
  • Date: 1st July 2001
  • Summary: ZAVKHAN (pron: ZAV-KAN) PROVINCE, MONGOLIA (RECENT) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) SLV: HERDER MIGRATING AWAY FROM HOME PROVINCE OF UVS (pron: Oovs) TOWARDS ULAN BATOR/CARAVAN OF CAMELS CARRYING POSSESSIONS MVLV: HERDER LEADING CAMELS (2 SHOTS) LV/MV: MIGRATING HERDER WITH LIVESTOCK/GOATS RUNNING ACROSS GRASSLAND (2 SHOTS) MV: THREE HERDERS SITTING TOGETHER AS THEY MAP OUT ROUTE TOWARDS ULAN BATOR WHICH IS 1000 KILOMETRES AWAY CU'S/MV: HERDER BATMOENKH (pron: Bat-monk) TALKING/ ANOTHER HERDER LISTENING/ HERDERS SADDLING UP (3 SHOTS) SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (Mongolian) HERDER BATMOENKH SAYING: "People who have healthy and able family members can save their herds by migrating out of the area to another place, and get the animals out of the disaster areas. But those who cannot do that, because they don't have enough relatives, are stuck where they are and they are losing all their animals, and they really are in trouble" UVS PROVINCE, MONGOLIA (RECENT) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) LV/SLV: UVS PROVINCE WHICH IS THE AREA WORST AFFECTED AREA BY THE DROUGHT/ WEAK CAMELS NEAR KHYARGAS LAKE WHICH HAS BEEN SEVERELY DEPLETED (2 SHOTS) MV/CU: DEPUTY GOVERNOR OF UVS PROVINCE, BATNASAN (pron: Bat-nas-an), LOOKING AT DRIED UP LAND/ HOLDING SHRIVELLED GRASS (2 SHOTS) (SOUNDBITE) (Mongolia) DEPUTY GOVERNOR OF UVS PROVINCE, BATNASAN SAYING: "The climate conditions in the past few years is the main reason for mass migration. The natural disaster has caused such big losses that living in the rural areas has become very poor. It is very hard to live in remote and distant areas, that's why people are moving to the central areas to make a better living and to get better access to markets and to get education for their children." GV: UVS PROVINCE SLV: "TENT VILLAGE" SET UP TO CARE FOR MIGRATING FAMILIES SLV: LOCAL OFFICIALS ENTERING TENT SVCU'S: WOMAN WHO GAVE BIRTH IN THE TENT HOSPITAL HOLDING BABY/ BABY'S FACE/ WOMAN'S FACE (3 SHOTS) SLV: TENT EXTERIOR ZAVKHAN PROVINCE, MONGOLIA (RECENT) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) SLV: MIGRATING HERDER WITH LIVESTOCK KHAVD PROVINCE, MONGOLIA (RECENT) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (Mongolian) SHIRENDEV, PEOPLE'S REPRESENTATIVE FROM KHAVD PROVINCE, SAYING: "It is now very important to protect the pastures and pay attention to herders' employment issues, because - if not - a lot of herds would die. We would be in a situation where there would be a major migration stream flooding into Ulan Bator and surrounding areas." UVS PROVINCE, MONGOLIA (RECENT) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) GV: DROUGHT STRICKEN AREAS SV/SCU: LIVESTOCK IN DROUGHT HIT AREA (2 SHOTS)
  • Embargoed: 16th July 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ZAVKHAN PROVINCE, UVS PROVINCE, KHAVD PROVINCE, MONGOLIA
  • Country: Mongolia
  • Topics: Economy,Quirky,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA1UI3BDM3SYYKIO3298F4C2DSE
  • Story Text: Following a third year of severe drought in Western Mongolia, thousands of herding families are deserting their traditional lands and migrating towards the cities and richer pasture lands in a desperate bid to survive.
    In Mongolia's western province of Zavkhan (pron: Zav-kan), increasing numbers of nomadic herders are embarking on a long and difficult journey.
    Already 200 kilometres from their home in Uvs (pron: Oovs) province, this group is heading to Ulan Bator - a 45 day journey across Mongolia's plains.
    They are migrating from their traditional lands to escape a third consecutive year of severe drought - hoping to find greener pastures near the capital.
    In Uvs province alone, drought and severe winters have killed almost half a million heads of livestock.
    Batmoeknh (Bat-monk), a herder who plots his course towards the capital with his fellow herders, considers himself lucky.
    "People who have healthy and able family members can save their herds by migrating out of the area to another place, and get the animals out of the disaster areas. But those who cannot do that, because they don't have enough relatives, are stuck where they are and they are losing all their animals, and they really are in trouble," said Batmoeknh, whose own herd dwindled by 70 per cent in recent months.
    In Uvs province, some 80 per cent of the area has been hit by drought - a lake in the area is running at drastically lower levels than normal.
    Last year alone, some six per cent of the population in Uvs migrated out of the province. Deputy governor in the region, Batnasan (pron: Bat-nas-an) said it was clear why families were moving out.
    "The climate conditions in the past few years is the main reason for mass migration, the natural disaster has caused such big losses that living in the rural areas has become very poor. It is very hard to live in remote and distant areas.
    That's why people are moving to the central areas to make a better living and to get better access to markets and to get education for their children," said Batnasan.
    The trek across thousands of kilometres of inhospitable land is fraught with difficulties. The government has been forced to set up makeshift tent villages to help provide basic services for families searching for richer pasture land.
    A woman gave birth to her baby in a tent village as she and her family began the long trek across Mongolia seeking a better life.
    But there is growing concern that the continuing flood of migrants and sudden increase in herding families to urban areas could put pressure on cities.
    "It is now very important to protect the pastures and pay attention to herders' employment issues, because - if not - a lot of herds would die. We would be in a situation where there would be a major migration stream flooding into Ulan Bator and surrounding areas," said Shirendev, a People's Representative from Khovd (pron: Kov-d) Province.
    While the migrating families continue their trek across Mongolia, the future is looking increasingly bleak for people either too weak, or too old, to make the journey.
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