Heavy precipitation (rainfall) that occurred in Tajikistan on August 27-28, 2023, caused widespread flooding, mudflows, landslides, and rock falls. The affected areas include Dushanbe, Vahdat, and Hisor cities, and Rudaki, Varzob, Devashtich, Rasht, Nurobod, Sangvor, Tojikobod, Farkhor, Khuroson and Yovon districts.
The disaster has affected houses, roads, bridges, schools, agricultural land, irrigation canals, livestock, power transmission lines, drinking water supply and sewage lines, water pumping stations, vehicles, and other infrastructure. As of September 18, 21 casualties have been reported by Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan.
The Government of the Republic of Tajikistan activated the Inter-Agency Commission on emergency situations in each disaster-affected district, which fully facilitates the response operations. Furthermore, Emergency Operations Centers have been set up in each disaster-affected district to collect and analyze relevant information, as well as to coordinate the response activities.
Up to date, response activities in the affected districts include: search and rescue, evacuation of population from risk zones, constant disinfection of the affected territories, debris removal, assessment of damages and needs, registration of affected people, restoration of communal services, collection and distribution of immediate relief assistance, as well as recovery planning.
The Red Crescent Society of Tajikistan with the support of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) provided relief assistance to 160 households (800 people) through household items to cover basic needs.
Based on the assessment in the field, the affected population in Vahdat and Rudaki have been provided with household items to cover their basic needs (mattresses – 800 pcs., pillows – 800 pcs., bed linen sets – 800 pcs., quilts – 800 pcs., plastic buckets (10 liter) – 320 pcs., shovels – 160 pcs., hoes – 160 pcs., kitchen sets – 160 pcs. and tents – 20 pcs.).
UNICEF (with the support of the USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance) handed over the following to Committee of Emergency Situations (CoES) for their further distribution to the affected households:
- 1,200 sets of family hygiene and dignity kits (sufficient to meet the needs of at least 6,000 affected people);
- 1,220 packs of water purification tablets /NaDCC, 33mg tabs/PAC-50 sufficient for the treatment of more than 305,000 liters of water for human consumption.
Under this operation, the Red Crescent Society of Tajikistan covered families, whose houses are heavily damaged and who have lost their property and belongings, the most vulnerable families with many children or with elderly and families headed by women as the only breadwinners.
All response activities including delivery of goods, transportation to affected areas and distribution taking into account the needs assessment were conducted in close cooperation with the CoES representatives and local authorities of disaster affected areas.
Until September 18, using the support provided by RCST, USAID, AKAH, PO “Dili Khayrkhoh”, WFP, UNICEF, OSCE, and CoES own reserves, CoES has distributed assistance packages consisting of food commodities, family hygiene and dignity kits, bedding items, water storage tanks, and water purification tablets to more than 1,000 affected households in Vahdat, Rudaki, Varzob, Hisor districts and Dushanbe (I.Somoni district).
USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) provides life-saving humanitarian assistance—including food, water, shelter, emergency healthcare, sanitation and hygiene, and critical nutrition services— to the world’s most vulnerable and hardest-to-reach people.
USAID BHA is the lead federal coordinator for international disaster assistance, harnessing the expertise and unique capacities of other U.S. government entities to effectively respond to natural disasters and complex crises around the world. USAID BHA takes a holistic look at humanitarian aid, providing assistance before, during and after a crisis—from readiness and response, to relief and recovery. This includes non-emergency programming that is foundational to linking humanitarian assistance to long-term development and the journey to self-reliance.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian network. Its secretariat supports local Red Cross and Red Crescent action in 191 countries, bringing together more than 16 million volunteers for the good of humanity. The IFRC acts before, during and after disasters and health emergencies to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people. ifrc.org – Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – YouTube
The Red Crescent Society of Tajikistan (RCST) is one of the oldest humanitarian organizations in the country and assisting people in need since 1927. The National Society plays a significant role in providing humanitarian assistance to people affected from frequent disasters like: floods, landslides, drought and earthquakes. The RCST has a key role in disaster preparedness and response activities in Tajikistan as an auxiliary to the public authorities in the humanitarian field. RCST has branches in all 69 districts and counts more than 10.000 of volunteers throughout the country. In 2010, Parliament of Tajikistan adopted a law on “The Red Crescent Society of Tajikistan” and recognized some governmental guarantees and benefits to the organization. The current RCST programs and projects plans are in line with the International Federation’s Strategy 2030.
