JALAL-ABAD CITY, Kyrgyzstan (Asia Water Wire) — When disaster – from floods to landslides strikes in a mountainous country like Kyrgystan, would residents know what to do? Perhaps so, officials after a training programme held in July in the southern part of this Central Asian country.

Residents of southern Kyrgyzstan are now more prepared to face natural calamities after skills learned under programme, which was jointly conducted by the Civil Social Support Centre (CSSC) and the southern department of the Ministry of Extreme Situations (MES).

“This was the first ever training conducted by the Ministry of Extreme Situations to help the local population during times of floods, landslides and mudflows. These are natural calamities that commonly occur in more than 90 percent of southern Kyrgyzstan,” said CSSC Elmira Mavlyanovaa. Created in 1996, the CSSC is one of the leading NGO support organisations in southern Kyrgyzstan.

A series of roundtable discussions, seminars and training for both the villagers and local officials were conducted in 21 villages of the three provinces. Volunteer groups, consisting of local administration representatives and villagers, have been created after the training. The primary goal of these groups is to notify and evacuate villagers during emergency situations.

The six-month disaster-preparedness project, which ended early July, was funded by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Focusing on the southern Kyrgyz provinces of Jalal-Abad, Osh and Batken, the project cost 10,000 euros (12,683 U.S. dollars).

“MES experts, local officials and volunteers work out evacuation plans and logistics, as well as learn how to build dams and channels,” said Joldosh Amanbekov, the head of the newly created civil protection department of MES. “Our duty is to coordinate with the ministry, local administrations and the local residents on how to prepare for natural cataclysms and hopefully prevent the loss of lives,” said Amanbekov.

For instance, according to CSSC studies, only 16.7 percent of villagers in Ak-Kyja in Osh province knew how to act in times of natural calamities. When the training programme was conducted in Ak- Kyia, more than half of the villagers joined the seminars.

Dzhalal-Abad Vice Governor Aybek Akbarov was quite happy with what he saw. He said, “The participants learned how to construct small dams, fortify the riverbanks and clear drainage channels.”

Mavlyanova said that they chose to conduct seminars in high-risk areas given the fact that Kyrgyzstan is dominated by peaks, glaciers and high-altitude lakes. Kyrgyzstan is no stranger to natural disasters, no thanks to overgrazing and deforestation of steep mountain slopes. Mudslides and avalanches are said to have swallowed entire villages in the area. Apart from water-related disasters, earthquakes also affect the region. A severe earthquake in 1992 left thousands of people homeless in Jalal-Abad.

Some peasants, however, stayed away from in the project because they said it not be of any use during floods and landslides. “The State is obliged to protect us. We can do nothing against the forces of nature,” stated one peasant from Sarybulak village in Jalal-Abad province.

“We tried to explain to them the importance of being prepared in extreme situations and tried to convince them to come to the training but they didn’t want to,” said Mavlyanova. “Many villagers, especially the younger ones, think they are safe where they are. But natural catastrophes are very unpredictable and we couldn’t take any chances.”

“We know we did the right thing. Local residents who participated in the project say that their newfound knowledge is very dear to them than any special equipment,” said MES deputy minister Bolot Ayadaraliev.

The MES’ local branches have a list of members of the volunteer groups in the 21 villages. Apart from constant coordination, the volunteers also train fellow villagers some basic preparedness skills.

Ayadaraliev added, “A person should be given the opportunity to protect his family and property. Our government does not have enough fund for the effective prevention of natural calamities. But the population should not rely solely upon the government. The effective coordination between the citizens and the government will guarantee protection in any extreme calamities.

The July training may be over, but Mavlyanova said, their work is not yet done.

“For instance, there are about 200 villages located in danger zones in Jalal-Abad province. Many of them are located high up in the mountains, and there are no telephone lines and roads. This is why it’s important that we continue this project. And we hope that the government and international organizations will support us,” she said. (END/AWW/IPSAP/EK/LC/280706)