ULAN BATOR, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Melting snow and ice could cause flooding in Mongolia as spring nears, the country's State Emergency Commission (SEC) said Thursday.
"Due to the rapid warming in recent days, the snow has melted quickly, and the amount of snow cover in the country has decreased to 63 percent, increasing the risk for floods," the SEC said.
Sainbuyan Amarsaikhan, the country's deputy prime minister and head of the SEC, said the government will spend 11 billion Mongolian tugriks (around 3.3 million U.S. dollars) to prevent possible spring floods.
According to the country's weather monitoring agency, Mongolia has seen more snow than usual in the winter. Over 80 percent of the country's total territory had been covered with snow up to 100 cm thick at the end of February. ■