During 2015-2017, the Mongolia Water Forum -Us Khelts jointly implemented the ADB-funded project (TA-8855) “Mongolia Water Security Assessment” in cooperation with the FCG Anzdec LLC (New Zealand) under the overall supervision of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism of Mongolia.
Given the rapidly changing growth dynamics and the pressing need to integrate sustainable development planning, the ADB and the Government of Mongolia agreed to conduct a Country Water Security Assessment (CWSA) for Mongolia. The ADB provided Technical Assistant (TA) for the CWSA, which was used to improve policies and strategies in the water sector, particularly to improve national water security and deal with water scarcity. The Mongolia CWSA has also supported the preparation of a national water security management strategy and ensured that ADB’s strategy and programs respond to water security challenges in Mongolia and are consistent with Mongolia’s water policy directions.
The assessment aimed to adopt the five-dimension framework which is presented in the Asian Water Development Outlook (AWDO). The AWDO measures water security in five dimensions:
- Household water security;
- Economic water security;
- Urban water security;
- Environmental water security;
- Resilience to water-related disasters.
This five-dimension framework provides a good basis for the regional developing member countries to conduct a country water security assessment.