Some areas of Vakhsh district in Khatlon province have suffered by mudslides after a day of heavy rain. The villages of Ittifoq, Mash’al and Vahdat were hard hit, with a total of 36 houses destroyed and several others partially damaged. Fortunately no human casualties were reported.
Heavy rains on May 12 caused a series of mudslides in Khatlon’s Vakhsh district in the evening the same day.
According to official data, four villages were affected by the mudslides, namely, Ittifoq, Mash’al, Vahdat and Toshurobod.
According to data from the Emergencies Committee under the Government of Tajikistan, Ittifoq, Mash’al and Vahdat villages were hit hard. In Ittifoq village, the mudslide completely destroyed 21 houses, in Mash’al village – 10 houses, and in Vahdat – 5 houses.
A tent camp has been constructed for the disaster-affected families and three hot meals a day were organized for them.
The mudslide also partially damaged the Vakhsh Canal, which provides irrigation water to 42 hectares of agricultural lands in Vakhsh, Jaloliddini-Balkhi, Dousti and Jaihum districts in Khatlon province.
Vakhsh Chairman Qurbon Hakimzoda says the canal was seriously damaged and there is no way to let water on it. “The canal needs repair,” Hakimzoda noted.
Besides, the mudslides destroyed five bridges and partially damaged rural roads in the district. In Mash’al village, the mudslides reportedly completely destroyed the water supply facility.
Deputy Prime Minister Davlatali Said, Vakhsh Chairman Qurbon Hakimzoda and representatives of a number of international organizations active in the country visited Vakhsh on May 14 to get acquainted with the situation.
A special commission is currently working in the area to assess the actual damage caused by the disaster to the district’s economy.
