Challenges and Opportunities for Achieving the Drinking Water Goal of the Mongolian Sustainable Development Vision (MSDV) 2030

Author: Munkhzul Chimid-Ochir

Chimid-Ochir, Munkhzul, 2018 Challenges and Opportunities for Achieving the Drinking Water Goal of the Mongolian Sustainable Development Vision (MSDV) 2030, Flinders University, College of Science and Engineering

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Abstract

Regular access to safe drinking water is a basic human right and crucial to human well-being and sustainable development, therefore, the subject is always an essential part of the global development agenda. For instance, the United Nations adopted the ‘Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ in 2015 and its goal 6 and target 6.1 plan to attain universal coverage of safe and quality of water for all human beings by 2030. However, governments in most of the developing countries struggle to achieve these crucial goals due to widespread water-related problems. The Government of Mongolia faces numerous encounters to reach a vital goal to advance the country’s sustainability. Through the Mongolian Sustainable Development Vision (MSDV) 2030 policy document, the Government of Mongolia aims to increase the percentage of the population that has access to safe drinking water at 90 percent by 2030 through the. In this thesis, an analysis was made to highlight the underlying challenges and opportunities to achieve that goal. Mongolia’s current situation of drinking water access was evaluated based on the standard international requirement as set out by the World Health Organisation. The analysis provided in this thesis explores possible opportunities, for instance, investment options and their impact on the socio-economic and environmental development of the country. This research used the Threshold 21 (T21) Mongolia macroeconomic modelling which is the most extensive database that the Government of Mongolia established and developed since 2012 with the support of the Millennium Institute of the United States and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. The findings of this research using the T21 Mongolia model affirm the link between the drinking water supply and the sustainable development issues. The fundamental challenges are consistent with the literature, but more rigorous efforts are expected from the Government to reach the MSDV 2030 drinking water goal. Such efforts will offer integral and very positive benefits to the socio-economic and environmental development of the country.

Keywords: Sustainable development, MSDV 2030, drinking water supply, T21 model, water governance, partnership, investment

Subject: Environmental management thesis

Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2018
School: College of Science and Engineering
Supervisor: Udoy Saikia