Like other countries in Central Asia, Mongolia faces a massive challenge of safeguarding its freshwater resources. Climate change, population growth, large-scale land use change, water contamination due to mining activities and outdated infrastructures in the water supply and wasterwater sectors have in the past years caused both a deterioration of living conditions and the degradation of aquatic ecosystems. Moreover, the social development of the country is in many ways characterised by the transition from a socialist system and planned economy towards a democratic system and market-oriented economy. Research in the Kharaa catchment will analyse these problems in their mutual interdependence in order to develop and implement integrated systemic solutions on this basis.

The project has identified four problem areas to address:
1. Declining water availability in the context of global change
2. Water contamination due to human influences
3. Insufficient supply infrastructures in urban and rural regions
4. Legal framework and effectiveness of institutional structures

The inter and transdisciplinary approach is reflected by the project’s structure. Its three thematic modules work towards an expanded knowledge on hydrology and land use (TM 1), aquatic ecology and water quality (TM 2) and integrated urban water management (TM 3). Three cross-sectional modules focus on monitoring, data and modelling (QM 1), material flow and mass balances (QM 2) and capacity development and environmental information (QM 3). All works are carried out in close cooperation with Mongolian partners in science, administration, the business sector and the general public.

BDZ is integrated into the project in partnership with the UFZ (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research) and is focusing on two key areas.

• The first is the development and implementation of a capacity development program consisting of two projects: a primary school sustainable water use and pollution education program called Water Fun and a professional training program about decentralised wastewater technology.
• The second key area is the assessment of waterwater treatment plants within the Khaara Catchment and recommendations for their upgrade.