KULOB, November 11, 2008, Asia-Plus — A group of Bangladeshi specialists numbering three persons have arrived in Kulob to conduct feasibility study for implementation of the flood risk management project here.
Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, the team leader Sardar Shah Newaz said that the project would address recurring flood and mudslide risks along rivers in Kulob and Vose districts.
According to him, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide financial support for implementation of the project. He noted that Bangladesh had internationally known flood forecasting and warning network to monitor river conditions, and therefore, the ADB had selected Bangladeshi specialists to conduct the feasibility study.
Mr. Shah Newaz said that they would stay in Kulob for two days to conduct survey of the mudslide-prone sections of the Yakhsou and Tebolay rivers in the city and the district of Kulob. The team is working in other areas of the country as well.
Tajikistan is prone to frequent natural disasters because of its terrain and climate. Floods are particularly severe disaster risks because of the mountainous nature of the country.
We will recall that the ADB approved the flood risk management project for the Khatlon province in October 2007. The project addresses recurring flood risks in four districts in the province through a comprehensive and coordinated approach. A major part of the project is the rehabilitation of 8.3 kilometers of flood protection embankment along Panj River, which borders Tajikistan and neighboring Afghanistan. The project will also develop and disseminate a flood risk map, strengthen flood warning systems, draw up a flood preparedness and evacuation plan, and strengthen flood forecasting capacity by rehabilitating the country’s hydrometeorological network. The project will also help the government define and implement policy reforms needed to improve flood preparedness and remove some of its persistent operation and maintenance funding constraints for flood levees and riverbank protection works.
