Ref. OCHAGVA - 98/0203
Situation

1. Heavy rainfall in the night of 17 May 1998 and during the day of 18 May 1998 have once again flooded various areas of the country, including Dushanbe.

2. The northern part of the city has seen severe damage. There are a total of 58 houses totally damaged in this area. The people have lost food, clothing, household items and furniture. They are now living with their relatives or neighbours, and some have moved to the mosques. The eastern part of Dushanbe has also seen some damages: a total of 4 houses have been totally destroyed. The Red Crescent Society of Tajikistan started with the distribution of non-food items on May 19. The road to the airport was covered with mud more than 0.5 meter thick; many other streets in the city were covered with mud.

3. According to the Tajik State Committee on Disaster Preparedness (CDP) the Government of Tajikistan has allocated 1 billion Tajik Rubles for assistance to the affected areas around the country. As of May 18, 1998 official figures (from the CDP and the Emergency Department of the Presidential Office) for the total damages are as follows:

Name	Unit of measurement	Quantity	Damages in Tajik Rubles
Affected houses		7115	4935,07
Completely destroyed or washed away:		704
Schools and children pre-school institutions:		155	691,44
Hospitals and polyclinics:		65	373,29
Social, cultural and consumer services sites:		67	224,99
Roads:	km	695,08	1831,9
Bridges:		84	1566,5
Electrical transmission lines:	km	424,3	737,6
Communication lines:	km	375,2	375,88
River bank fortification facilities:	km	146,77	5821,43
Irrigation system canals:	km	944,21	918,7
Pump stations and other hydrotechnical facilities:		46	280,17
Crops:	ha	14,559	1414,65
Livestock:		3568	132,4
Families to be resettled from danger zones:		1030
Victims: (including unfound persons)		76

4. The total amount of damages (including damaged drainage systems and other economic assets) have been officially estimated at 21,669,12 Tajik Rubles.

5. Assessment of damages in the Khatlon Region was performed by representatives of ECHO, IFRC, OCHA, Save the Children/ US, Aga Khan Foundation, Mission "East", ACU and the Tajik Government during a one day field visit to the area on 19 May 1998 Details of this assessment are held with OCHA Geneva and can be provided upon request.

6. IFRC launched an appeal on 11 May 1998 requesting CHF 560,000 (US$ 380,500), cash and in kind for the areas, rayons and cities of Aini, Penjikent, Old Masteho, Gharm, Kulab, Vose and Soviet.

7. Victims received wheat flower from the Government and assistance from neighbouring districts. WFP provided food assistance, UNICEF supplied OCHA Dushanbe with a list of relief items available for relief. Activities of MERLIN and Mission "East" were also reported to OCHA Dushanbe. According to "Mission East", people who lost houses in Kulab district were registered for food distribution. Local authorities of Vose organized the evacuation. The Iranian embassy delivered tents.

Appeal for International Assistance

8. According to Government sources the following items are required, in order to assist the population who suffered from the natural disaster:

1. Tents or "Caravans"; 4,000 units
2. Mattresses and blankets; 15,000 units
3. Mobile radio stations; 100 units.
4. Mini-power stations; 100 units
5. Special poles for overhead electricity transmission of up to 11m in length; 300 cubic metres.
6. Transformers of 250.630 kW - 50 units and 110/335/10; 2 sets.
7. Devices for food preparation; 4,000 units
8. Clothes and footwear including those for children; 15,000 units
9. Food stuff
10. Building materials or prefabricated houses
11. Shielded cable of 120-240 sq.mm in diameter; 50 km
12. Containers for drinking water; 1,500 units

The UN Resident Coordinator has identified the following items as priorities:

• Tents
• Blankets and mattresses
• Children's clothes and shoes

9. OCHA is prepared to serve as a channel for cash contributions for the immediate relief needs. Funds channelled through OCHA will be spent in coordination with the relevant organizations of the UN system and OCHA will provide written confirmation of their use. Funds should be transferred to OCHA Account No. Co-590.160.1 at Swiss Bank Corporation, P.0.Box 2770, CH-1211 Geneva 2, with reference: OCHA-Tajikistan - Floods.

10. For coordination purposes, donors are kindly requested to inform OCHA Geneva as indicated below, of relief missions/pledges/contributions and their corresponding value by item.

11. This situation report and further information on ongoing emergencies are also available on the OCHA Internet Website at: http://www.reliefweb.int

Telephone number. +41/22/917-1234
In case of emergency: +41/22/917-2010
Desk Officer: Mr. Wolfgang G. Krajic, Disaster Response Branch/OCHA Geneva.
Direct Tel No. +41/22/917-1109
Fax: +41/22/917-0023
E-mail: info@dha.unicc.org