Kyrgyz village installs mudflow protection walls to mitigate effects of rainy season

In southwestern Kyrgyzstan on the border with Uzbekistan, Dostuk village in Suzak district is a multi-ethnic community of nearly 2,000 people. Over the past five years, this village has experienced severe mudflows during heavy rains. To address these risks, Save the Children has been implementing the European Union funded Disaster Preparedness Programme (DIPECHO) VIII project: “Increasing Resilience of Institutions, Communities and Most Vulnerable Groups to Natural Disasters in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.”

In 2012 alone, Dostuk was flooded 11 times. The local school with 319 students is particularly vulnerable to these risks

“These effects led to a temporary suspension of classes for schoolchildren for several days. In addition to the  school toilets being destroyed, the school site was covered with rocks and mud, and some classrooms had become temporarily unusable for classes. Moreover, several houses and gardens standing close to school were affected by the mudflows. These problems created difficulties in the work of the school and the lives of local people,” said Kaliman Sheralieva, school director.

In order to respond to these landslides and to prevent future disasters, both a Youth Group for school children and a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) have been established. CERT has 16 members; including local residents, school teachers, medical workers and representatives of local authorities. Five rounds of training were conducted in the village on topics including hazard mapping, family and school emergency plans, early warning systems and disaster mitigation. A disaster response simulation was conducted for CERT and the Youth Group members. 

Together with contribution from the local community, a small scale mitigation project has been developed. Mudflow protection walls measuring 3 meters in height and 35 meters in length have been constructed in order to protect the local school, school children and community residents from natural disasters. 

Gulchehra Kashimova, CERT member, said, “this project benefits to all segments of the population. It teaches residents how to behave and react before, during and after the emergencies. And simulation exercises show obtained theoretical knowledge in practice. Special thanks to Save the Children International in Kyrgyzstan for giving the villagers confidence in protecting from natural disasters!”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This article reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.