On the 8th, a large-scale grassland fire occurred in the Nurmug Nature Reserve in the Eastern Province of Mongolia. On the 20th, Japanese telecommunications operator KDDI admitted in an interview with Kyodo News that its subsidiary, Mongolian telecommunications operator Mobikong, had Japanese management personnel present in the protected area at that time. KDDI stated, "We feel deeply serious about the situation caused by the fires triggered by Mobikong's activities, which have had a serious impact on the natural environment."
Mobikom is the largest mobile operator in Mongolia. Currently, this company is under investigation and may face claims from the Mongolian authorities.
According to local media reports, this protected area located in eastern Mongolia, covering an area of 5870 square kilometers, is estimated to have been burned by fires in about 80% of its territory.
It is reported that before the fire, Mo Bi Kang’s CEO, Yue Zhikangbo, and two other executives were inspecting the area. One of the vehicles in their convoy caught fire, which led to the occurrence of this fire.
With strong winds boosting the flames, and the drought further exacerbating the situation, the fire quickly spread towards Inner Mongolia in China. The Chinese side mobilized a total of 3,400 personnel, including firefighters and local emergency teams, to carry out cross-border firefighting efforts.
Mongolian media cited local government sources, stating that the fire was brought under control on October 12 and completely extinguished on October 16.
The fire occurred in the Numrugu Nature Reserve, which was designated as a "strictly protected area" in 1992. This area has unique landforms and a rich species diversity, home to wildlife such as moose, red deer, wild boar, brown bears, and Eurasian water rabbits. There are 263 species of birds and 24 species of fish living here. The newspaper also mentioned that this is also the main grazing ground for Mongolian gazelles, and some of them have escaped into Chinese territory.
Mongolia's Minister of Justice and Internal Affairs, Temuren, said last week that the investigation is ongoing, and the responsible party for the grassland fire must compensate for the losses caused.
We will hold the responsibility of border management personnel and employees of Mobi Kang Company accountable for their actions, and recover related losses. The minister stated, "The individuals involved were granted two-day entry permits, but the fire appears to have been an accidental ignition while they were leaving."
Shinoda Masahiro, an honorary professor of climatology at Nagoya University, has long studied the climate of Mongolia. He states that the Mongolian Plateau, which includes parts of Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and some regions of Russia, is prone to wildfires. During spring, when the snow on the grasslands melts, the dry vegetation becomes exposed; in autumn, strong winds occur frequently, and the grass dries up, leading to frequent fires on the grasslands during these seasons.
Even so, he said that this fire destroyed nearly 5,000 square kilometers of land in just eight days, a scale that is “quite significant”.
The car driven by Mobikong was set on fire within the protected area. Mongolia’s iKon.mn news website.
Based on satellite data, research reveals that between 2001 and 2021, Mongolia's plateau suffered an average of 13,000 square kilometers of land burned annually by wildfires. He said, "The wildfire area in this event may fall among the most severe levels recorded during this time period."
Mongolia has a national population of 3.5 million. Mobikom has over 1.8 million mobile users. The company's handling of this incident has raised concerns locally. In the early stages of the incident, the company issued a statement saying that senior executives went to border areas to carry out work related to expanding mobile network coverage. Later, Mobikom posted a pre-recorded video on Facebook, and CEO Yue Zhikang Bo apologized to the Mongolian people.
Yue Zhi Kangbo said in Japanese: "The relevant authorities will determine the cause of the fire and the scale of the losses. I fully understand this. We will fully cooperate with the investigation, fulfill our corporate social responsibilities, and take necessary measures. I understand everyone's concerns. We deeply regret the environmental damage caused, and we apologize to the Mongolian people."
Kedi Di said: “We realize that the activities of our subsidiary Mobicon caused a fire, which caused significant damage to Mongolia’s natural environment. The situation is very serious.” At the same time, Kedi Di apologized to the Mongolian people, customers, and stakeholders.
"We will thoroughly review the on-site testing process and safety management measures, and do our utmost to prevent such incidents from happening again."
