UN appeals for US$25 million to deal with harsh winter

The UN appealed today for US$25.2 million to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of thousands of people in Tajikistan due to the harshest winter there in almost three decades.

The situation has been exacerbated by power shortages. The aim of the appeal is to avoid possible life-threatening situations during spring and early summer.

“We have a compound emergency situation. We need to take immediate measures to safeguard the population,” Michael Jones, UN resident coordinator for Tajikistan, told IRIN from Dushanbe.

Water levels in the reservoir that generates power for the capital, Dushanbe, and other parts of the country are reaching dangerously low levels and neighbouring countries are cutting back on their exports of fuel due to the cold weather. This has “resulted in prolonged power shortages”, Jones said.

Such a loss of power in winter on this scale is “unprecedented”. Dushanbe only has electricity 10 hours per day, leaving residents without heat and water most of the time, Jones said in a statement.

We are going to need a great deal of support from the international community if we are to meet the needs of the Tajik people now and over the coming months.

With temperatures below minus 20 for most of January, and hydroelectric power stations producing much less electricity than usual, there have been disruptions in terms of heating, water and basic social services, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.

Urban areas are most affected by power shortages: Hospitals, orphanages and schools are now relying heavily on generators, which cannot produce sufficient power for heating and other essential services, OCHA said.

Strict power rationing has been introduced throughout the country, and it is estimated that the country’s main source of power, the Nurek hydropower plant, will be operating at 40 percent capacity until the spring.

Food insecurity

There is a precarious food-security situation, especially in rural areas, according to UN officials. Humanitarian agencies said over a half a million people may face food shortages; at least 260,000 are in need of immediate food assistance, according to the Food Security Sector Group – a cluster of organisations including Action Against Hunger and the World Food Programme.

The government, meanwhile, has said that up to 2 million people may require food assistance all winter unless food and fuel supplies in rural areas are replenished.

The UN flash appeal for Tajikistan aims to enable humanitarian agencies to ensure adequate food, water, fuel and electric power for heat, health care and basic commodities during this critical period.

The appeal also aims to avert a life-threatening situation in the spring.

“Although we are all waiting for this cold spell to end, the spring will bring its own set of hazards. Since there has been unusually heavy snow, it is likely that there will be increased flooding and landslides as it melts,” said Jones. “We are going to need a great deal of support from the international community if we are to meet the needs of the Tajik people now and over the coming months,” he said.

About $1.2 million has already been made available for the projects proposed, leaving an outstanding $24 million, according to OCHA.

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