Tajikistan’s emergency telephone number, which was launched in October 2011, has failed to meet expectations. It is too easy to be remembered and the emergency operations center has received many unnecessary calls. That is why the country’s emergency management agency has decided to change the emergency telephone number and to launch the new one.
Tajikistan is rugged mountainous country prone to frequent natural disaster, such as earthquakes of varying degrees, severe winter conditions, heavy snow and rain falls resulting mudslides, floods and avalanches.
The lack of national capacity in hazard identification, mitigation and preparedness mean that disasters continue to have a devastating impact on communities, taking lives, destroying infrastructure and preventing further economic development and slowing overall developmental efforts in the country.
In response to this situation, IOM through the support of the Government of Japan has implemented the project designed to support the Government of Tajikistan by establishing an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) under the Committee on Emergency Situations and strengthen capacities for education and training of the concerned state structures.
The emergency telephone number – “111” – was launched on October 14, 2011 on the basis of the emergency operations service that works round-the-clock.
“But it proved to be too easy to be remembered and the emergency operations center has received many unnecessary calls,” said Umeda Yusupova, a spokeswoman for the Committee on Emergency Situations. “Therefore, it has been decided to launch the new emergency telephone number – “112. The project has been submitted for consideration to the government.”
The issue is expected to be solved before the end of this year, Yusupova added.
Tajikistan has a different emergency number for each of the different emergency services for fixed-line phones: “01” – fire department; “02” – police; “03” – first aid; and “04” – gas service.
In many countries the public telephone network has a single emergency telephone number (sometimes known as the universal emergency telephone number or the emergency services number) that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assistance. The emergency number differs from country to country; it is typically a three-digit number so that it can be easily remembered and dialed quickly. Some countries have a different emergency number for each of the different emergency services; these often differ only by the last digit.
Mobile phones can be used in countries with different emergency numbers. This means that a traveller visiting a foreign country does not have to know the local emergency numbers. The mobile phone and the SIM card have a preprogrammed list of emergency numbers. Most GSM mobile phones have 112, 999 and 911 as pre-programmed emergency numbers that are always available. The SIM card issued by the operator can contain additional country-specific emergency numbers that can be used even when roaming abroad. The GSM network can also update the list of well-known emergency numbers when the phone registers to it.
