DUSHANBE , July 11, Asia-Plus - An international two-day seminar formally titled “Management of Emergencies in Case of Flooding” opened in Dushanbe today. 

The seminar staged by Japan ’s International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is aiming to consider the results of a survey on assessment of emergencies on the Panj River .  The seminar participants include senior representatives from Tajikistan ’s President’s Executive Office, Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES), as well as representatives from Japan ’s Embassy in Dushanbe and international humanitarian organizations. 

Inaugurating the seminar, the First Deputy Tajik Emergencies Minister, Abdurrahim Rajabov, noted the Tajik government attached great significance to the issues related to providing security in case of emergencies in the country.  According to him, one of the worst hit areas in terms of emergencies was the Chubek water-intake facility on the Panj River in the Khatlon province.  

On the significance and main objectives of the seminar, Mr. Rajabov noted that preliminary results of the survey conducted by the JICA team for studying issues of preventing emergencies on the Panj River would be submitted for consideration in the seminar.  “Proceeding from these results the MES will work out a general plan of construction of riverbank protection works along the Panj River,” said the MES official, “Besides, a pilot project for the construction of riverbank protection works is supposed to be launched in near future; under this project the riverbank protection works will be tested for firmness against head and pressure of water.”     

 According to data from the MES, floods that hit the Hamadoni district in Khatlon last year caused some US$95 million worth of damage.  More than 1,000 residential buildings were damaged by floods and some 10,000 were left homeless. 

It is necessary to construct the riverbank protection works on a 36-kilometer section of the Panj River .