Oyunchimeg Dechinlhundev lives in the outskirts of Mongolia\u2019s capital, Ulaanbaatar. She makes a living from raising chickens and geese, and growing vegetables. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen I was a child, 10 days of rain never flooded our street,\u201d Oyunchimeg, who is in her late 40s and has lived here her entire life, remembers. \u201cBut several times in the past decade 10 minutes of rain have destroyed everything I planted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Flooding caused by heavy rain has destroyed her crops and killed her chickens on multiple occasions. \u201cNow, we panic and worry when the rain starts to drop,\u201d Oyunchimeg says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you know…<\/p>
Mongolia\u2019s rainiest period is between July and August<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
In an attempt to prevent the damage, every year at the start of summer she and her neighbours reinforce their fences with barriers made from earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rainfall patterns have changed in Mongolia over the past 40 years, meteorologists have found<\/a>. While overall the country receives the same amount of annual precipitation, deluges are replacing the light rain that previously would fall for more than a week. This has negative consequences for the wildlife and livestock<\/a> on Mongolia\u2019s grasslands, as well as people living in its fast-expanding cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2004, only nine incidents of heavy rains and floods were recorded by Mongolia\u2019s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). In the 18 years since that number has risen, with official data recording 72 disasters<\/a> just last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n