Characterized by a steep mountainous terrain, the landlocked Central Asian country of Tajikistan is highly vulnerable to natural hazards like earthquakes, floods, landslides, and avalanches. Posing a persistent threat to the country’s continued development progress, disasters in Tajikistan caused economic losses exceeding $1.8 billion and affected almost 7 million people between 1992 and 2016.

When disasters do happen, the country’s infrastructure including roads and bridges, much of these built in the Soviet era, has been impacted, amplifying the devastating consequences for people and communities. In July 2015, floods and mudflows in some of the most remote and mountainous parts of Tajikistan destroyed several bridges, interrupting key transport corridors and stranding villages.

Under the auspices of the $50 million Strengthening Critical Infrastructure against Natural Hazards Project, the government of Tajikistan has been deeply engaged with the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and the World Bank to make its critical infrastructure more resilient to disaster. 

Over 750,000 people, nearly half of whom are women, are estimated to have benefitted from the more resilient infrastructure made possible through this partnership.

A key focus of the support has been toward the resilient reconstruction of 17 bridges in the Mountainous Badakhshan Autonomous Region (MBAR) which saw significant damage to its transport infrastructure during the 2015 floods and mudflows. The selection of bridges was guided by the extent of damage from the floods and mudflows, as well as feedback from local consultations.

“We carried a sick person to a neighboring village on foot and then transported him to the district center’s hospital by car. Vehicles could not access Chikhokh … Today, we have this new bridge, which can be used by cars. Pedestrians, including children are safe as they use a separated sidewalk on the bridge.” - Roziya, Primary school teacher in Chikhokh village of Vanj district in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO)

The resilient reconstruction included measures to increase the height and span of the bridges, thus enabling them to remain open to traffic even during high water flows.  Four years after the 17 bridges were reconstructed, each of them have remained operational despite a series of extreme weather events – proof positive of the success of these efforts.

In addition to the resilient reconstruction of bridges, support was also provided toward strengthening flood protection and riverbank erosion prevention infrastructure in Khatlon province, which was also severely affected by the 2015 floods and mudslides. In total, over 27 kilometers of either fully destroyed or partially destroyed embankments were restored.

The support from GFDRR and the World Bank also helped enable the introduction of innovative engineering solutions to strengthen resilience in the infrastructure sector in Tajikistan. For instance, the design of one of the 17 bridges employed a reinforced embankment with gabion blocks, the first time this was used in the country. Gabion blocks, or wire mesh containers of rectangular shape that are filled with stones or other durable materials, will allow for quick, targeted repairs to specific sections of the bridge in case of damage.

GFDRR and World Bank support for critical infrastructure in Tajikistan build on a longstanding and deepening partnership for resilience-building with the Central Asian country. For instance, through the Japan-World Bank Program for Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management in Developing Countries, which is financed by the Government of Japan and managed by GFDRR, support has also been provided toward an assessment of the economic impacts from disasters along key transport corridors in Tajikistan. Based on official statistics, 400 household surveys, and 15 key informant interviews, the assessment found, among others, that total economic damage due to disasters on the road network in Tajikistan represents 0.5 percent of the national GDP.

In addition, GFDRR has also provided support toward the preparation and adoption of Tajikistan’s Strategy for Financial Protection against Natural Disasters until 2037. Some of the key reforms in the strategy include establishment of an earmarked reserve fund to finance the costs related to disaster response, and incentives for disaster risk reduction investments. Support has also been provided toward the Committee of Emergency Situation and Civil Defense (CoESCD), with an eye toward building its capacity as the main coordinating agency for crisis management and disaster risk management in Tajikistan.