UN emergency relief office appeals for help as heavy flooding affects Tajikistan

The United Nations office on emergency assistance today appealed for food, medicines and other supplies as flooding continued in Tajikistan after two months of heavy rains joined the water from thawing snow and ice.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) urgently requested fuel, spare parts, food, medication, tents, blankets and household supplies after the country asked for international assistance in coping with the disaster.

The UN Disaster Risk Management Project (UNDRMP) in Tajikistan said last week that the rapid rise in temperature and heavy rains of the past two months had caused the water level to increase in main rivers, resulting in numerous floods and mudflows affecting the infrastructure and livelihoods.

Many villages were isolated from one another as bridges were washed away in the flooded areas. The water level was not likely to start to drop until at least Wednesday, according to meteorologists, because the heat will continue to melt the unusual amount of snow, UNDRMP said.