Northern areas face possible floods

With warmer temperature in Tajikistan's mountains melting the snows, water levels in the Zarafshon river in the north have risen, threatening thousands of residents in the area. "The snow is melting and water levels in Zarafshon river are rising," Abdurhakim Radjabov, Tajik deputy emergency situations minister, told IRIN from the capital, Dushanbe, on Wednesday, noting that this was a normal phenomenon for the time of year, the only difference being that last year water levels were not as high. According to the Emergency Ministry, the water levels in the Zarafshon river were now some 40 cm higher than at the same time in 2003. Some 10,000 people in the area could be affected should the river burst its banks and flood nearby populated areas. "We are taking the necessary measures aimed at preventing disasters and the situation now remains under control," the deputy minister said. The Tajik emergency authorities were monitoring the situation on the ground and conducting training in possible evacuation plans. Meanwhile, Dushanbe has not yet appealed to the international community for any assistance. "We hope that there won't be any major emergency and subsequently there won't be any need for help," Radjabov stated. Tajikistan is prone to various natural disasters, including landslides, avalanches, floods and earthquakes. According to the World Bank, each year the mountainous Central Asian state experiences around 50,000 landslides, some 5,000 tremors and earthquakes, and hundreds of avalanches and debris flows. These natural disasters exacerbate poverty and hinder economic progress in the impoverished country, where more than 80 percent of the population lives below the national poverty line. According to the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), natural disasters, including landslides, floods and earthquakes, have killed about 2,500 people and affected some 5.5 million (almost 10 percent of the total population) in Central Asia over the past decade.