Tajikistan – Floods and Mudflows Leave Several Dead and 1,500 Displaced

A period of heavy rain in Tajikistan has caused deadly mudflows and rivers to overflow. Thousands of homes have been flooded in several villages near the capital, Dushanbe. At least 2 people have died after the rain triggered mudflows in Sughd Region in north-western Tajikistan.

Heavy rain has also affected parts of Afghanistan and 4 people died in floods in the northern Badakhshan province on 11 May.

River Overflows in Rudaki District, Tajikistan

Tajikistan’s Committee of Emergency Situations (CoES) reports that the Elok river overflowed in Rudaki district, south of the capital Dushanbe, on 12 May 2016. Several villages have been affected and a total of 1,146 residential buildings flooded. More than 1,500 people have been evacuated.

Flood/mudflow affected household. Rudaki District. Credit: OCHA

Mudflows in Sughd Region, Tajikistan

On 09 May, several mudflows and flooding occurred affected several districts of the Sughd Region in north-western Tajikistan after a period of heavy rain.

Emergency Situations Committee say that a mother and her son died in a mudflow in the village of Revada, Aini district. CoES say that the bodies have since been recovered by search teams.

A major mudflow and flooding also occurred near the town of Panjakent. Around 2km of road has been damaged, along with 2 bridges and wide areas of farmland. An 8 km stretch of the Zebon river is now blocked with debris. CoES say that clearing the debris is urgently required to avoid further flooding in the town.

In July 2015, around 10,000 people were evacuated after floods and mudflows in the Shugnan District in the eastern region of Gorno-Badakhshan. The debris blocked the flow of the Gund river, creating an artificial lake which flooded areas along the river.

Warnings

CoES has warned of further unstable weather accompanied by heavy rainfall, which could lead to landslides, mudflows, rockfalls and increasing water levels in rivers. The severe weather could last until at least 16 May. CoES asked that people remain vigilant and avoid travel to areas vulnerable to rock and landslides.

Afghanistan

In neighbouring Afghanistan, at least four people have been killed and four others injured as heavy rainfall and flash flood hit several villages in the northern Badakhshan province on 11 May 2016.

“Due to rainstorm and flooding which hit several villages in Tashkan, Baharak, Darayem and Shahada districts last night, at least four people including women and children have been confirmed dead and four others injured,” director of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in the province, Sayed Abdullah Hamayon Dehqan, told Chinese News Agency Xinhua.