Mudslides continue to threaten villagers

Mudslides are continuing to drown parts of northern Tajikistan, threatening the lives of hundreds of villagers, aid workers told IRIN. "The mountains are not solid. Every time it rains parts of the mountain turn into mud and slide down,” programme assistant for the Office of Co-ordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, Maarouf Muhamedov, told IRIN in the northern Sughd province. In the latest incident the village of Urmitan some 45 km from the district of Aini in Sughd province, was plunged into chaos after a mudslide hit the area on 7 July, a region which is prone to this type of natural disaster. Surface soil on three hilly areas in the Aini district have started sliding destroying all the infrastructure including at least 188 houses. According to experts, deforestation often leads to unstable topsoil in mountain regions, leading to landslides The sheer devastation caused is visible to see as a school building in the village stood two meters high in mud. “People are doing as much as they can to help move the mud, but we need more help,” headmaster, Rahmadmarud told IRIN, worrying whether the school could be cleared in time for the start of the new school year. “It is very unusual to have rain this time of year. The season is usually over by May,” he explained. Other villagers complained that their houses had been completely flooded by mud. “Come and look at our house. We have nothing left,” screamed one woman. Indeed, several houses in the village had already been destroyed by the natural disaster. A total of five major villages were affected by land and mudslides in June along with many smaller uninhabited areas. The government, which is taking the lead role in dealing with the emergency situation, is relocating some villagers as their lives are in danger. However, plans do not include those in Urmitan leaving locals in a desperate state of despair. “Most of the plans for relocation were drawn up during the Soviet era and they are now being followed,” Muhamedov said. Some 216 families out of 325 from the village of Revad, 20 km from the center of Aini have already been relocated to Dasht I Kozi, 18 km away from Revad. The relocation started on 27 June, following heavy rains, which caused mudslides to destroy houses and land. “We have lost everything. I only have the clothes we are wearing and we don’t have any cooking utensils,” Nazira, told IRIN after her family of eight moved to the site recently. Despite being settled in a safer place, the villagers have no shelter in Dasht I Kozi and are living in tents provided by UNHCR and OCHA. “We need construction materials. People need to build homes,’ chairman of the community, Obloqulov Rahmongul told IRIN. He also complained of a lack of clean water, which was causing illnesses particularly among children. There is a doctor on site offering basic medical supplies, but he maintained their needs were much more. “We need bandages, anti-antibiotics and pills to control fever,” Dr Hazrat Khan Mahmud said. While the local authorities were overseeing the relocation effort, villagers maintained they had not received any help in transporting themselves and their belongings to the new site. The area has always been prone to mudslides and increasing fears of falling victim to them were rife among villagers. “Big stones came crashing down onto our homes and we were very frightened. Thank god I didn't lose anyone from my family,” Nazira said, adding that the mudslide in Revad had claimed four lives. Those affected by the landslide in the village of Vashan, some 15 km from the center of Aini were also being relocated to a site in the northern neighbouring province of Khujand, some 150 km away. Vashan was devastated by a landslide and parts of the village have been deemed unfit to live in. The site known as 26 Part Siezd had already been marked as a relocation settlement during the Soviet era and house construction had already begun. However, community leader, Umerbek Khatabekov said a proposal for US $1.5 million had been made by the government in order to bring the site up to date. The relocation for this site began on 13 June and of the 300 families to be moved, some 80 people were at the site. “Many families have not moved yet as they have sent representatives to check out the site,” he explained. [ENDS]