The Dushanbe-Khujand highway is temporarily closed for traffic again due to heavy snowfalls and avalanches. Currently, employees of the Ministry of Transport and the Innovative Road Solutions (IRS) Company, which operates toll on this highway, are clearing the highway of snow.
Posts consisting of rescuers of the Emergencies Committee under the Government of Tajikistan, traffic policemen and IRS employees have been set up along the highway to provide safety of the population, Ms. Umeda Yusufi, a spokeswoman for the Emergencies Committee, told Asia-Plus in an interview.
“The highway is expected to reopen for traffic today afternoon,” Yusufi said on Monday.
According to her, heavy snowfalls hit the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) and Rasht Valley as well.
“On January 12, a snow slide blocked a road in the Labi Jar area in the Sangvor district. The road was cleared of snow and reopened for traffic on the same day,” Yusufi said.
According to her, the risk of avalanches in eastern (Rasht Valley) and southeastern (GBAO) Tajikistan remains high, and therefore, the Emergencies Committee advises people not to travel to mountain areas unnecessarily.
