DUSHANBE, September 18, 2015, Asia-Plus — The abnormally hot climatic temperature across Tajikistan during this summer resulted in a sequence of natural disasters. The eastern part of the country, the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), was among the hardest hit regions. In the second half of July and the beginning of August, the rapid melting of glaciers coupled with precipitation in the highlands of GBAO triggered mudflows, landslides and floods that claimed human lives, destroyed over one hundred residential buildings, crippled vital public and commercial infrastructure and substantially reduced the coping capacity of over 1,000 affected people.
UK Embassy in Dushanbe says UK Government through Department for International Development (DFID) provides £140,000 to assist the population affected as a result of major mudflows and floods that occurred in several districts of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO), Tajikistan.
In the country level DFID provides £95,000 to Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS), an affiliate of the Aga Khan Development Network. This support contributes to the replenishment of emergency stockpiles, a risk assessment of further floods and for channel construction ensuring safe water management. The proposed humanitarian relief will allow covering 100 families (approximately 600 individuals) and conducting of bathymetric survey and channel cleaning works will secure 1,300 households located in 20 downstream villages and urban area of Khorog town from possible downstream flooding.
On the global level UNICEF Tajikistan within the framework of UNICEF’s global humanitarian partnership with DFID received £46,000 from DFID in support to the humanitarian response. This funding has enabled UNICEF, as a sector lead in Education and WASH, to address the gaps in the emergency response.
The funding is thus used in Education to provide the affected children with access to safe, friendly, nurturing learning and recreational environment through: setting up of Child-Friendly Spaces (CFSs) for 79 preschool age children (under 7) and provision of early childhood development (ECD) supplies; setting up of Temporary Learning Classes (TLCs) for 97 school age children; provision of remuneration for facilitators/tutors working in two CFSs; and provision of Recreational kits for 200 children.
In the WASH sector the response will ensure that 480 vulnerable persons have access to sanitation facilities and good hygiene practices through: construction of 15 temporary latrines; and communication campaign to improve knowledge and practices on key hygiene behaviors.
The response is being coordinated in partnership with FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance and Mercy Corps. Portion of the funding will be used to boost the response capacity of the WASH sector group in preparedness for future emergencies.
