To say that Tajikistan is prone to natural disasters is to understate the issue. Approximately 93% of the country is classified as mountainous. Much of it exists along a seismic rift. The frequency of disasters has only risen because of climate change.
As a consequence, the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) – one of the districts where AKDN works – is extremely vulnerable to flooding, mudslides, rock falls, avalanches, landslides and earthquakes. Many communities within GBAO are also located in remote areas, making disaster relief efforts extremely difficult and often dangerous.
The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) has been active in Tajikistan since 1997. Its major efforts concentrate on fostering disaster resilience in isolated mountain communities, strengthening the communities’ capacity to prepare for and respond to disasters, and enhancing the local and national government’s capability to assess, prepare for and respond to natural disasters in a timely and effective manner.
By applying a community-based approach and partnering with the Government of Tajikistan‘s Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence (CoES CD), as well as other non-governmental agencies, AKAH Tajikistan seeks to reduce the risk of hazards and disasters that threaten local communities.
Since its establishment, the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) Disaster Response Teams (DRT), in coordination with the Government of Tajikistan, have responded to over 200 incidents and dozens of major natural disasters. They have also provided relief and aid to affected communities.
- Conducted capacity building trainings and established and equipped 59 Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) bringing together a total of over 1,750 members (nearly half women) throughout GBAO to support the communities during emergencies;
- Search and Rescue trainings through Pompiers de L'Urgence Internationale, France and UK ISAR and the establishment of two Search and Rescue teams in Khorog and Rushan;
- Established, prepared and trained 50 Avalanche Preparedness and Response Teams to respond to disasters in rural and urban areas;
- Strengthened 29 school-level disaster management teams – with five being newly formed that enable the schools to have the capacity to be the first responders in the event of disasters affecting the school.
- Increased awareness of over a million schoolchildren and adults on seismic safety;
- Seismically retrofitted 14 schools and two houses in isolated villages;
- Prepositioning of emergency stockpiles for over 1,300 families in most at-risk settlements throughout GBAO;
- Acted as one of the critical partners together with the local government of GBAO in responding to major disasters during 2015 throughout Tajikistan: Avalanche in Nivodak; debris flows in upper Shughan in Barsem, Bartang Valley and Barrushan in Rushan District, Vanj and Darvoz districts; and the earthquakes of October and December that affected five districts and Khorog town in GBAO;
- Provision of critical search and rescue equipment for the Fire Department of GBAO and CoES CD.
- Institutional strengthening of the organisation in accordance with Incident Command System and Emergency Operation Centre’s response methodologies; and
- Provided assistance to Afghan refugees in Tajikistan through family assessments, the provision of food, training in English and Russian, and computer courses through the University of Central Asia.
AKAH's Disaster Response Teams are on alert 24 hours a day, ready to respond to disasters at a moment’s notice. Examples of recent disaster responses include:
- Mudflow, August 2013: AKAH DRT received notice of a mudflow due to very heavy rain in the village of Shujand, GBAO. The DRT members promptly arrived on site and advised households under direct threat to evacuate their homes. The mudflow caused widespread damage and affected families were provided food and non-food items including tents, blankets and hygiene kits.
- Avalanches and Rock Fall, February 2014: Tajikistan experienced a relatively mild winter in 2013, compared to the beginning of February 2014, which saw rapid weather fluctuations resulting in blockages of the main Khorog-Dushanbe road due to avalanches and rock falls. AKAH issued an advisory to all of the villages through the Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) and announcements at community gatherings to ensure that they had food in stock for at least five days, “Go-bags” were ready, evacuation routes and safe havens identified in the Village Disaster Management Plans (VDMPs) were reviewed, and mobile phones and radio CODAN communication systems were operational for emergency calls for assistance. AKAH monitored the situation through the radio system and through district-based CERT team members on an on-going basis.
- Debris Flow, July 2015: Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) were engaged in a devastating debris flow disaster that affected the districts of Shugnan, Rushan, Vanj and Murgab, GBAO. Increased glacial melting and heavy rains caused the debris flow, which blocked the Gunt River, resulting in the formation of an artificial lake. Houses, roads, land, schools and health facilities were damaged and destroyed. CERTs were immediately mobilised to rescue and evacuate more than 100 families from the villages of Barsem, Barushan, Chudud, Rangkul, Banj, Tekharv and Rokharv. Those affected were evacuated by helicopter, boat and on foot. The Tajik government and AKAH set up a temporary camp and provided food and non-food items to displaced villagers.
- Earthquake, December 2015: GBAO witnessed a very devastating earthquake of 7.2 magnitude – the second strongest earthquake in 2015. The earthquake hit the Bartang Valley, which resulted in the damage of 652 houses, 142 homes destroyed impacting close to 3,500 people including more than 650 children, women and elderly becoming internally displaced. The extreme cold weather and the blockage of roads caused by rock fall exacerbated access to this remote part of Tajikistan. The emergency radio communications system installed in 2004 and upgraded during the summer of 2015, which was implemented jointly by CoES CD and AKAH, was the only mode of reliable communication with the affected villages. AKAH CERT volunteers in conjunction with CoES CD volunteers immediately responded by evacuating affected households to safe havens. AKAH provided food and non-food aid to the internally displaced with support from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), International Organisation for Migration (IOM), OXFAM and through its own stockpiles. The GBAO local government provided shelter for the internally displaced. In addition, AKAH, with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), procured and mobilised 26 yurts for affected villagers in the Bartang Valley. AKAH also supported the local government in the improvement of key social infrastructure such as schools and public facilities. AKAH continues to implement post-earthquake rehabilitation programmes.
Furthermore, AKAH collaborates with sister agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) to integrate risk management strategies into long-term development efforts, further ensuring sustainable improvement of the quality of life for the people of Tajikistan.
