IRIN
KYRGYZSTAN: Mudslides hit southern areas
24 April 2007


ALMATY, 24 April 2007 (IRIN) - Mudslides caused by heavy rains have hit 
southern Kyrgyzstan flooding more than 300 homes, the Ministry of 
Emergencies (MOE) reported on Tuesday.

The mudslide occurred on Sunday night in Jalalabad province, 300 km 
south of the capital, Bishkek.

A total of 209 houses were hit in villages in Jalalabad's Suzak 
district, 75 in Bazarkorgon district and 42 in Nooken district, with 
many more households affected by the flooding, the MOE said.

An MOE team is carrying out rescue operations, including evacuating 
people from affected areas. However, local people are unwilling to 
abandon their homes and cattle, MOE spokesman Alisher Tashmatov told 
IRIN from Bishkek.

"People have been evacuated in certain places, but the thing is there 
are a lot of cattle there. People won't leave them," Tashmatov said. 
There were no preliminary reports of casualties.

This is the second time southern Kyrgyzstan has been hit by floods and 
mudflows over the past few days. Mop-up operations are still under way 
in the area after heavy downpours caused floods and mudslides last week 
in Jalalabad and neighbouring Osh province.

In the Aksy district of Jalalabad province, 500 schoolchildren have been 
drafted in to assist the clear-up operation after mudflows hit villages 
on 17 April. Just less than 200 homes in the district were flooded, the 
MOE said on Tuesday.

The Kyrgyz Red Crescent Society has sent humanitarian aid to the 
district, including bedding and cooking equipment, and the MOE has 
provided clothing, flour and tea.

Kyrgyzstan is vulnerable to more than 20 different types of natural 
disasters, according to the UN Economic and Social Council.

Last year Emergencies Minister Janysh Rustenbekov said about 3.5 million 
people out of Kyrgyzstan's 5.2 million population were living in 
disaster-prone areas.

Southern Kyrgyzstan is at particular risk. A UN Development Programme 
(UNDP) survey published last year showed that the main problems in Osh 
province are landslides, while in Jalalabad the biggest risk is floods.

This winter the country was hit by four earthquakes in little over a 
month, beginning in December when tremors destroyed 1,332 homes and left 
about 6,700 people homeless in the central Kochkor district.

In January, two earthquakes damaged about 1,300 houses in south-western 
Batken region, and a smaller quake hit Jalalabad province in February. 
Major reconstruction work on buildings has not yet started due to 
weather conditions.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Appropriate Donations for International Disaster/Humanitarian Needs
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Center for International              web: www.cidi.org
    Disaster Information          listserv: www.cidi.org/listsub.htm
                                guidelines: www.cidi.org/donate.htm
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -