Tajikistan: Floods and Landslides - Jul 1999

As a result of torrential rains on 7-8 July 1999, three districts in Tajikistan have experienced severe flooding and landslides. The districts are: Ashd and Aini in the Leninabad region, and Jirgatal in the Karategin Valley. Of the three, Ashd is the most severely affected with at least two villages reportedly destroyed. United Nations Resident Coordinator in Tajikistan reports that the Tajik Ministry of Emergencies has conducted an assessment of the situation in Ashd and reports that 18 people have been killed, at least 50 are missing and 23 are injured. The Ministry also reports that 167 houses have been destroyed and that an additional 209 are damaged. In Jirgatal, five people are reported dead. Information on Aini is still pending. (OCHA, 9 Jul 1999)

Torrential rains from 6 to 12 July 1999 produced severe flooding, landslides and the wash out of fortifying dams of river banks in northern and central Tajikistan. Hundreds of houses, educational and health establishments, hundred kilometres of roads, tens of bridges, power transmission lines, irrigation systems and canals, and other important economic objects were destroyed, mostly in the mountainous and foothill districts in the rural areas of the Republic (Ashd and Aini districts in Leninabad region and Faizabad, Gharm, Ghissar, Jirgatal, Kofarnihon, Leninsky, Tavildara and Varzob districts). The most affected are Ashd and Aini districts in Leninabad region and Jirgatal district in the Karategin valley. According to the latest information provided by the Tajik Ministry of Emergencies, the impact of the floods in the Ashd district is as follows: 18 people have been killed, with only 14 bodies retrieved; 10 people are missing and 23 injured; 316 houses are totally destroyed and 412 damaged leaving correspondingly 1,360 and 2,151 people without shelter, of which 413 people need to be resettled. (OCHA, 15 Jul 1999)

The Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Dushanbe reports that the most seriously affected zone is the Asht District in the Leninabad Region. The heaviest loss in human lives occurred in this area with 20 people killed and two still missing. In addition to extensive damage to the existing infrastructure, more than 3, 800 people are without adequate shelter. The agricultural sector is also hard-hit, undermining the livelihoods and food security of hundreds of families. Although humanitarian agencies have already provided significant assistance, local authorities have indicated that more is urgently required. Of the other affected areas, the most serious emergency needs are in Gharm District, where approximately 1,000 people are without adequate shelter. In Jirgital, approximately 700 people require shelter while in Darvaz District in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast, approximately 90 people are without adequate homes. Assessments are continuing in the Gharm District and new needs may be reported shortly. Support to the agricultural sector is required in both Kholkhozabad and Jirgital Districts, where thousands of hectares have been destroyed or damaged. (OCHA, 26 Jul 1999)