Tajikistan hopes for foreign assistance to rectify consequences of bumper snowfall

Almaty. February 1. Silkroadnews – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan has published an appeal to the foreign states and international organizations for assistance to overcome the consequences of natural disaster the country faces, Tajik Telegraph Agency (TajikTA) writes.

“Taking into account Tajikistan’s experience of cooperation with the diplomatic missions and international organizations in emergency situations, the Tajik side hopes for the partners’ every possible support in rectification of consequences of natural disasters”, the appeal text says published on the site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan.

As the ministry's officials explained, the avalanches in the east and north of Tajikistan on January 30 resulted in human victims and serious infrastructure demolitions, the dozens of settlements turned to be trapped among the snow. Numerous avalanches were also registered on highways Ishkashim-Khorog, Vahdat-Rasht-Jirgital and Dushanbe-Khujand on January 28.

The Dushanbe-Khorog-Murghab road closed due to avalanches in the territory of Rushan and Shugnan districts of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region also is considered as a high tension sector. The emergency response groups have been established to rectify disaster consequences.

The document by Tajikistan’s MFA points out to abnormally high surplus of rainfall and snowfall this autumn-winter season, which amounted to 140-170% relatively the average ones. As a result, stocks of snow resources for today amount to 168% on the territory of Tajikistan, in particular, in the basins of the Zarafshan river – 322%, Vakhsh river – 148% and Panj river – 156%.

In February, the forecasts say, the snowfalls will exceed the norms once again. Such a situation may bring the most of settlements and roads in mountainous areas to be trapped within risk areas of avalanches, landslides, floods and other natural disasters during the whole winter-spring-summer period.

Rescue and preventive measures require huge financial resources. Medicines and healthcare products, food, fuel, appropriate machinery, equipment and building materials for antimud slide protection facilities construction are of special importance.