The Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defense under the Government of Tajikistan and United Nations Development Programme in Tajikistan raise awareness on reducing disaster economic losses and risks

October 15, 2018


15 October 2018, Dushanbe Within 2017, 720 cases of avalanches, 41 mudflow and 23 landslides have been registered in Tajikistan, the Committee of Emergency Situation under the Government of Tajikistan (CoES) reports during an interview organized by the UNDP Disaster Risk Management Programme to mark the International Day for Disaster Reduction. According to the CoES mudslides and floods are the top hazards causing the most significant damage to the national economy.

The interview broadcast on Radio Sadoi Dushanbe, is a part of a series of radio programs aiming to raise awareness on reducing disaster related economic losses and risks among local population, particularly rural areas.

Faizullo Iskandarov, Head of Department at the Agency for Construction and Architecture under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan emphasized the problem of unauthorized house construction in disaster prone zones. Therefore, awareness activities should be conducted on a regular basis to reduce communities’ exposure to disasters in rural areas.

Psychologist, Aliahmad Yormahmadov highlighted that physiological help is crucially important for people to recover from disaster shocks. At the moment, there are very few centers in the country to provide such assistance. “Schools should focus on increasing the capacity and train teachers to help children to recover after disasters and family loss,” Yormahmadov said.

“I lost my sight at the age of 15 and people like me are the most vulnerable during disasters. This year, I was in Panj district during the flood and received several leaflets, which evoked my interest in this area. Awareness raising campaign about disaster response are crucially important for rural and vulnerable people,” said one of the winners of the disaster preparedness response quiz.

The UNDP Disaster Risk Management Programme organized the awareness raising campaign jointly with the Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense of Tajikistan, within the framework of “Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance in Tajikistan” project funded by the Swiss Cooperation Office (SDC) in Tajikistan.

For more information please contact: Regina Sokolova, DRM Programme Assistant, regina.sokolova@undp.org, (+992 44) 600 59 14

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