DUSHANBE, December 2, 2009, Asia-Plus /Nargis Hamroboyeva/ — After floods and mudflows destroyed hundreds of houses in Tajikistan in April and May of this year, over 1,000 victims are still left without adequate shelter in the Khuroson district, Khatlon province with temperatures dropping below zero, press release issued by the Office of the UN resident Coordinator in Tajikistan on December 2 said.
Some of these destitute people are living in tents by day, and seeking cover from the cold in schools or with host families by night. Others are staying with resettled neighbors or relatives.
The spring disasters permanently displaced over 3,000 people who can not return to their destroyed houses. The Tajik Government allocated land for two new settlements and, together with the private sector and religious organizations, provided new dwellings to over 150 families. Caritas, using its own funds topped up by money from the Swiss and United Kingdom governments, is constructing 45 more houses for the most vulnerable families.
Other aid organizations are constructing water systems in the new settlements and providing cash and basic necessities, such as bed linen, blankets and towels, for setting up new homes. Food was provided to the displaced and also to the host families to reduce the strain from taking in more people on their limited food supplies.
However, funds are lacking to provide every family which lost its house with a new one. “The people who are left homeless are struggling to survive. They can not count on the hospitality of equally poor families indefinitely,” commented Ilija Todorovic, the interim United Nations Resident Coordinator in Tajikistan, after a visit to Khuroson. “The international community has to prevent the mudflow victims from spiraling ever deeper into poverty,” he added.
The under-funded housing project is part of an appeal launched by the Government of Tajikistan together with the humanitarian community in August of this year. Just over $7.7 million is required to help people recover from the floods and mudflows and rebuild disaster-resilient communities. So far, only $1.7 million, or 21 percent of the total amount required, has been received.
