Risk of avalanches increases as weather warms

With the weather warming, the emergency authorities in Tajikistan are becoming worried about possible natural disasters, including avalanches, landslides and mudflows. "There are [now] avalanches almost every day," Abdurakhim Radjabov, deputy minister for emergency situations, told IRIN from the capital, Dushanbe, on Wednesday. "It is because the snow is starting to melt." His remarks come a day after an avalanche blocked the only road linking the Ishkashim district of the mountainous Badakhshan autonomous region in the Pamir mountains with the provincial capital of Khorog. No casualties have been reported. Traffic on the communication route was restored on Wednesday. "The road between Ishkashim district and Khorog has been cleared and it is up and running again," Radjabov said. Avalanches are frequent in Tajikistan, especially in the Pamir mountains, which have an average altitude of almost 4,000 m with a number of peaks above 7,000 m. "Badakhshan is the main zone where avalanches occur often because it is [completely] mountainous," the emergency official explained. According to the Tajik emergency ministry, areas between Khorog and Ishkashim, between Rushan and Khorog and further to Kalaihum, Darvaz district, in Western Badakhshan are the ones most prone to avalanches. This year alone, some 10 people have been killed, while last year four died in October and 10 were killed in February. In an effort to avert any losses or damage, the emergency body is conducting daily monitoring in avalanche-prone zones and should there be any signs of possible disaster, necessary measures are taken, including putting up warning signs and urging local people to avoid going to dangerous areas. "Actually, a lot of natural disasters occur in Tajikistan; not only avalanches but landslides and a lot of mudflows. Ninety-three percent of Tajikistan's territory is mountains and there is a big risk [of natural disasters]," Radjabov emphasised. Meanwhile, a special group named REACT has been established in the Central Asian state to respond to various emergency situations, with the participation of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN Development Programme, the International Federation of Red Cross and Crescent Societies (IFRC), the World Food Programme (WFP) and other agencies.