A separate settlement for potential Afghan refugees and victims of natural disasters will be constructed in southern Tajikistan.
Chairman of the Emergencies Committee under the Government of Tajikistan, Rustam Nazarzoda, told reporters in Dushanbe on July 31 the project is being financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the settlement will be located in the Jaloliddini- Balkhi district of the Khatlon province, 50 kilometers from the Afghan border.
According to Nazarzoda, the settlement will be built on the site of a tent camp temporarily established in 2021 after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan.
"The settlement is designed for 250 families. Two-story houses will be built, and all necessary conditions will be created. The project agreement has been signed, and a tender is underway," Nazarzoda said, without specifying the total cost of the project.
It was noted that construction of the settlement has already begun and will take approximately two years to complete.
The settlement will feature developed infrastructure, including repaired access roads and bridges, as well as a power line to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply.
According to the UNHCR, by the end of 2020, there were 6,500 registered refugees and asylum seekers from Afghanistan in Tajikistan. From January to August 2021, before international air communication with Afghanistan was suspended, the number of refugees doubled to about 14,000 people.
