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Ulaanbaatar Finishes External COP17 Structures as City Steps Up Flood, Quake and Fraud Preparations

City officials say venue shell works are done and they have launched river patrols, drainage repairs and investigations to shore up services and safety before August's UN desertification conference.

Overview

  • City authorities reported this week that exterior construction on 12 temporary COP17 facilities contracted to France’s GL Events Live is complete and finishing work on utilities, roads and landscaping continues.
  • Officials have activated seasonal flood measures that include river patrols, a public 'water safety' campaign and targeted drainage works after assessments warned high flood risk for the Selbe and Dund rivers and the Tuul river.
  • Geophysics researchers working with JICA have identified an active roughly 50-kilometre fault zone east-southeast of the city that officials say needs further study and more seismic stations to improve early warning capacity.
  • The mayor appointed Ch. Mэндбаяр as Ulaanbaatar’s General Manager this week, and the city’s disaster council reported that only 49 percent of earlier flood, fire and quake risk recommendations have been implemented.
  • Police and prosecutors are investigating a spike in online fraud, with 176 visa-related scams reported so far this year and 102 cases promising South Korean visas, even as state 'ХУРДАН' kiosks handled about 161,898 services in May.