Ecological Sanitation in the Khuvsgul Area, Northern Mongolia: Socio-Cultural Parameters and Acceptance
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Department of Geosciences, University of Basel Institute of Geography Ecological Sanitation in the Khuvsgul Area, Northern Mongolia: Socio-Cultural Parameters and Acceptance An Evaluation of the Current Sanitation Situation in the Khuvsgul Area and a Study about the Acceptance and Suitability of the Ecosan Approach in Mongolia Master’s Thesis in the College of Social Sciences Katharina Conradin November 2007 Supervisor: Prof. (em.) Dr. rer. nat. Dr. h.c. Hartmut Leser Co-Supervisor: Dr. rer. nat. Johannes Heeb © 2007: Katharina Conradin Winkelriedplatz 2 CH-4053 Basel Switzerland +41 (0)79 660 38 66 [email protected] PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Preface and Acknowledgements This thesis would not have been written had there not been a series of coincidences. Had I and my partner not chosen to go mountaineering in Mongolia, I would never have gotten to know this beautiful country. And had we not been so exhausted after six weeks of hard mountain climbing, we may not have gone to Lake Khuvsgul at all. Once there, I had recognized the need for sanitary improvements at once, but thought a project impossible just on my own. Had not a series of mishaps lead to the fact that we were among the last people to check in at the small airport in Muren, the capital town of the Khuvsgul aimag, I would never have stood behind Kent Madin, a lodge operator in Khatgal, who – also coincidentally – happened to walk around with a urine-separating toilet under his arms… It was this coincidental meeting which started this thesis. I owe Kent and his Mongolian partner Chinbat my deepest gratitude. They must obviously have been so impressed by my persistence and enthusiasm I displayed at the airport in Muren that they almost unrestrictedly supported me and my partners Jacqueline von Arx and Oyunmunkh Byambaa in realising this research project, at first in planning and organisation, and during our stay in Khatgal with accommodation and lodging. Without their help, we all could not have completed our Masters in such a great way. Similarly, I would also like to thank the staff at Khuvsgul Inn, above all Uka, for all their help during our fieldwork. Secondly, I must thank Jacqueline von Arx. She has embarked on this adventure in an unbelievably passionate and straightforward way, has been a great research partner and has become an even better friend during our shared time in the middle of nowhere. Deep thanks to Prof. Dr. Dr. Hartmut Leser, who taught me a passion for geography – I am grateful that I was able to be his student. He backed this slightly unusual project from the fist moment. Likewise, I am very much indebted to Dr. Johannes Heeb, who introduced me to ecosan in the first place. He let me conduct this study independently and still gave valuable advice from wherever in the world he was. As well, I am obliged to Prof. Dr. Michael Walther, who supported this project without knowing me at first, and helped us in establishing a small research partnership between the National University of Mongolia and the University of Basel. Furthermore, I must thank Oyunmunkh Byambaa, our partner student from the National University of Mongolia, who has been an immense help during our fieldwork. She has made me understand Mongolia better in both a literal and a figurative sense. In Mongolia, I am very indebted to Tuvshin from the Gandan Guesthouse in Ulaanbaatar. He is much more than just a guesthouse owner, but a guide, organiser, taxi driver and friend all in one. I would also like to express my thanks to Buya, who had to run around in Ulaanbaatar for days to organise our visa. Similarly, I would like to thank the staff of Boojum expeditions, who have frequently lent me a helping hand. In Khatgal, Gerelee and his family have always welcomed me like a daughter, and their hospitality has been extraordinary. Special thanks to Erdenetsooj for his immense help with the reforestation project. I would also like to thank to the following persons who have in one or the other way contributed to my thesis or have made my stay in Mongolia more special: Ganbaatar, Ganbaa, Jimmy, Byambaa, Odnoo, Togii, Enkhee, Bayanjargal, Enkhtuvshin, Mr. Baatarbileg, and Ariunbold. iii PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In Switzerland, thanks Martin Wafler for his technical advice, and Sascha Amhof for his introduction to GIS. And of course, I am very grateful that the KFPE granted the necessary financial support, without which this project would not have been realisable. A number of people have contributed to improve the quality of this thesis by investing time in proofreading and commenting. I deeply thank Michael Kropac, Chauntelle Sheehan, Anna Katharina Känzig and Yvonne Müller. At the end of August, I was able to spend some of the most beautiful days of the research time when Michael and Nikolaus Kropac visited Khatgal. They both made my stay in Khatgal much more special. This is also the place to thank my parents wholeheartedly. They have always believed in me, and have always let me go; I am grateful beyond expression for this. But my most special thanks go to Michael Kropac: for bringing me to Mongolia in the first place, for believing in my project idea from the minute the idea was born and for his visit in Mongolia this summer. His never ceasing moral support and very valuable scientific input have been a tremendous help that has finally made this thesis into what it is. Thank you for everything. Basel, November 2007 Katharina Conradin Note to the Reader This thesis is closely connected to the two theses written by Jacqueline von Arx and Oyunmunkh Byambaa, who were part of the research team in Khatgal in summer 2007. Both theses will be available in spring 2008. x For more information on the nature space and the geo-ecology of the Khuvsgul area, refer to: VON ARX, J. (2008): Geo-Ecological Research in the Khuvsgul Area, Northern Mongolia. Master Thesis (in German). Department of Geosciences, University of Basel. x For more information on tourism management and water pollution problems, see B. Oyunmunkh’s thesis: OYUNMUNKH, B. (2008): Ecological Vulnerability on the Western Shoreline of Lake Khuvsgul, Khuvsgul National Park. Master Thesis (in English). Mongolian Landscape Research Centre, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar. iv CONTENTS -OVERVIEW Contents – Overview 1 INTRODUCTION ___________________________________1 2 CONTEXT: FRAMEWORK FOR THE PROVISION OF ADEQUATE SANITATION______________________________________9 3 ECOSAN _______________________________________16 4 PROCEDURE AND METHODOLOGY ____________________37 5 RESEARCH AREA_________________________________49 6 KHUVSGUL INN ECOSAN PILOT-PROJECT, KHATGAL _______56 7 CURRENT WASTEWATER AND WASTE MANAGEMENT ______62 8 ECOSAN IN KHATGAL ______________________________68 9 SYNTHESIS ____________________________________110 10 SUMMARY _____________________________________128 11 REFERENCES __________________________________132 12 APPENDIX _____________________________________140 v CONTENTS Contents Preface and Acknowledgements.......................................................................................... iii Note to the Reader............................................................................................................... iv Contents – Overview.............................................................................................................v List of Figures....................................................................................................................... ix List of Photos ....................................................................................................................... ix List of Maps...........................................................................................................................x List of Tables.........................................................................................................................x List of Text Boxes................................................................................................................. xi Abbreviations and Acronyms ............................................................................................... xi Glossary..............................................................................................................................xiii 1 INTRODUCTION ___________________________________1 1.1 Essentials ....................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Objectives....................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Core Questions and Hypotheses .................................................................... 4 1.4 Relevance....................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Limitations....................................................................................................... 6 1.6 Structure ......................................................................................................... 7 2 CONTEXT: FRAMEWORK FOR THE PROVISION OF ADEQUATE SANITATION______________________________________9 2.1 Adequate Sanitation ....................................................................................... 9 2.1.1 Access to Sanitation in Mongolia.........................................................................11 2.2 Provision of Sanitation Services in Mongolia .................................................12 2.2.1 Institutional Framework........................................................................................12