Tajikistan bolsters early warning systems amid rising climate risks
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In May, a mudflow in Kulob, Tajikistan, killed Mirzo Muloniezov when he rescued his grandson, highlighting the dangers of increasingly frequent natural disasters in the country.
Tajik authorities recorded 741 natural emergencies in the first half of 2026, with avalanches and mudflows causing twelve deaths and $5.7 million in economic damage. Dushanbe is now collaborating with the United Kingdom to improve early warning systems.
Rajabali Rahmonali, chairman of Tajikistan’s Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense, and British Ambassador Katherine Smitton discussed technologies like geographic information systems (GIS), drones, and remote monitoring. Scientists are already using drones and GIS to monitor glaciers and areas prone to mudflows, combining aerial surveys with satellite imagery and other data to track glacier movement. Recent disasters extend beyond Kulob.
In July, a mudslide damaged forty homes in the Rushan District of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, prompting relocation of residents. While Tajikistan has a national roadmap to strengthen early warning systems through 2027 and has deployed flood forecasting systems, it remains unclear whether British assistance will focus on additional monitoring stations, drones, software, or training, and where these resources will be deployed.
The World Bank cautions that climate change could reduce Tajikistan’s GDP by 5 to 6% by 2050 without adaptation measures.
