UN Rushes Relief Funds To Flood-Hit Tajikistan

UN Rushes Relief Funds To Flood-Hit Tajikistan

The United Nations is rushing relief funds to Tajikistan, where massive floods and landslides have polluted the water supply in the capital, Dushanbe, leaving an estimated 40,000 people without clean water and susceptible to disease.

The Government, following an appeal for international assistance, has begun to conduct campaigns advising the population to refrain from drinking tap water, although many people may have no other choice, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Because of the landslides and destroyed bridges, the only north-south road link via Dushanbe has become impassable, leaving an estimated 5,000 people stranded and complicating the delivery of clean water by truck.

OCHA has allocated $20,000 to help provide emergency supplies, while the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has contributed $25,000 to purchase vital logistical and communication equipment. In addition, the UN Children’s Fund UNICEF) has been supplying chlorine and helping to enhance hospitals’ response capacity. A $30,000 grant from the Government of the Netherlands was also approved.

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