The “Tuul Reservoir Complex” project is planned for implementation from 2026 to 2033 to meet the drinking water needs of Ulaanbaatar, supply water to satellite cities, and regulate the flow of the Tuul River.
According to official sources, the project’s feasibility studies are being developed by India’s Kalpataru Projects International Ltd. and are 90 percent complete. Specifically, the foundational studies, including engineering geology, topography, borehole logs, and laboratory testing, have been completed.
The water complex will be developed over a total area of 5,569 square meters and will include a reservoir, water transmission pipelines, and a purification facility. The reservoir dam is expected to be 685.15 meters long, 35.8 meters high, and have a sediment depth of 19.84 meters.
Once the reservoir is commissioned at the headwaters of the Tuul River, it is expected to steadily supply 50 million cubic meters of water for the capital’s needs, while also storing up to 50 million cubic meters during periods of heavy rainfall. The project is being positioned as a strategically important development that will protect the Tuul River ecosystem and sustain river flow during drought years. It is also expected to reduce flood risk, ease overexploitation of groundwater, and create conditions for more balanced use of water resources.
In recent years, uncontrolled construction has increased in the Tuul River floodplain, and partial construction of protective structures has narrowed the river corridor, causing continued degradation of the system. Against this backdrop, the “Tuul Reservoir” project is seen as an upstream regulation solution that will store up to 50 million cubic meters of water and dampen peak flood flows.
Meanwhile, the “Tuul Expressway” project will serve as a downstream regulation solution. In addition to road construction, the project will comprehensively restore the flood protection embankments along the Tuul River. It will also clearly define the flow corridor and physically limit uncontrolled urban expansion in the river floodplain, according to the Press Office of the Ulaanbaatar City Mayor’s Office.
