塔吉克常年遭受季節性天災帶來的人民傷亡和經濟損失，專家表示，倘若塔吉克政府當局能適時提供正確的氣候資訊和警告給當地人民，即可減少許多災害。4月初的豪雨造成塔吉克東部發生山崩泥流，重創1千多戶家庭和周圍學校，巴達赫尚省伊什喀辛區的高速公路和電纜線也嚴重受損。
春季是塔吉克天災頻繁期，山雪融化，特別容易發生泥流和山崩；過去兩年中，季節性天災已造成77人死亡，和6100萬美元損失。
長期觀察的災害專家表示，即使國內資源有限，但在泥流每年固定發生的頻繁性和已然可預測的情況之下，當地政府實在應該更用心投入防災，降低災害規模。
氣象局長馬馬達里夫（Bekmurod Mahmadaliev）表示，儘管他們每年向政府示警，情況仍舊沒有改變。
馬馬達里夫認為，政府沒有用心和地方溝通，以范奇（Vanch）河沿岸和帕米爾中部山區為例，當地居民仍在泥流高危險區域搭蓋新居。他說：「一旦梅德維奇（Medvezhiy）冰河溶解，泥流必隨之而生。儘管我們都知道哪裡是泥流危險區，政府仍決定在該區興建機場，遑論重建新屋的居民，沒有人尊重專業。」
觀察者表示，倘若居民將屋舍蓋在泥流和山崩地帶的禁蓋區域，他們通常必須自行負擔損失。然而，當地官員卻常常允許民眾從被安置的安全區重返危險地帶。
The human casualties and economic devastation that Tajikistan routinely suffers from seasonal natural disasters could be reduced if the authorities passed on meteorological warnings to local communities in good time, experts say. Last week's heavy rain in eastern Tajikistan caused mudslides which destroyed over 1,000 homes and schools and damaged highways and electricity power lines in the Ishkashim district of the Badakhshan region.
Tajikistan is especially prone to natural disasters in the spring, when mountain snows melt and cause mudslides and landslides. Seasonal natural disasters have killed 77 people and caused US$61 million worth of damage in the past two years.
But observers say that even with the limited resources available, local administrations could have worked more closely with local people to reduce the scale of the destruction caused by mudslides that occur on an annual basis and can be predicted.
Bekmurod Mahmadaliev, director of the government's Hydro and Meteorological Institute, says weather forecasters warn the authorities every year that natural disasters are likely.
Mahmadaliev believes the authorities are not making enough effort to work with locals, citing the example of people along the Vanch River in the central Pamir mountains who are still building new houses in a high-risk mudslide zone. "When the Medvezhiy glacier melts, it always causes mudslides," he said. "And although we are aware of the risk of mudslides in the area, we're still building an airport there. That's not to mention the people who rebuild their houses there every time they are destroyed by mudslides. No one wll listen."
Observers say local people are often responsible for their own misfortune by building houses in prohibited zones that lie in the path of mudslides and landslides. Local officials often give people pemission to return to the danger zone after they have been relocated to safer areas.
全文及圖片詳見 ENS報導
