The Ministry of Transport has presented a number of projects for construction of avalanche defense works on the most hazardous sections of mountain roads.
The presentation of the projects was given on September 27 at a meeting of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Presided over by the head of the Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense (CES) Rustam Nazarzoda, the meeting reportedly brought together heads of sixteen involved ministries and agencies as well as heads and senior representatives of fourteen international organizations and donors.
The meeting participants exchanged views on effective use of funds provided for reduction of disaster risks in the country, according to the CES press center.
The National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Tajikistan was established as part of the Committee for Emergency Situations in March 2012.
The Platform serves a consultative and advisory body for coordinating the activities of organizations working on disaster risk management in Tajikistan. The capacity building of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction is supported by UNDP with SDC funding.
Recall, at least thirteen people were killed by avalanches that hit some sections of the Dushanbe-Khujand highway in Varzob district in late January this year.
A special commission has been set up to study the issue of constructing additional avalanche galleries along the Dushanbe-Khujand highway. The commission members include representatives of relevant ministries and agencies as well as the Branch of Innovative Road Solutions (IRS) in Tajikistan, which operates the toll on the Dushanbe-Chanak highway.
The most hazardous place on the Dushanbe-Khujand highway is the section from the Maikhoura area to the Anzob Tunnel.
The commission has come to a conclusion that it is necessary to build avalanche galleries with a total length of more than 5.5 kilometers on this section of the highway, from the 60th to the 72nd kilometer.
An avalanche gallery, snow shed or snow bridge is a type of rigid snow-supporting structure for avalanche control (avalanche defense) or to maintain passage in areas where snow removal becomes almost impossible. They can be made of steel, prestressed concrete frames, or timber. These structures can be fully enclosed, like an artificial tunnel, or consist of lattice-like elements. They are typically of robust construction considering the environments they must survive in.
