Highlights
The 7 December 2015 earthquake affected over 5,000 persons, displaced 654 people, including 354 children, led to 2 fatalities and at least 10 injured. The assessments indicate 144 houses are destroyed, 516 partially damaged, 3 schools fully and 12 schools partially damaged, and a variety of other public infrastructure sustained different levels of damages. The main impacted area is GBAO, the upper Bartang Valley, which is mountainous, remote and isolated.
Low temperature and first snows hitting GBAO underline the urgency of ensuring sustained relief assistance, including winterization for the earthquake-affected population.
While the assessments are being conducted, UNICEF supported displaced families with immediate life-saving items, including 165 hygiene kits and 328 water storage containers, 114 household emergency assistance packages and 182 sets of bed linen and 256 blankets.
Initial assessments suggest that support with child friendly spaces and temporary learning centres may be required, since the majority of collective centres are in schools. Schools are currently on a one-month break and UNICEF with the Department of Education will review the requirements in each centre.
UNICEF’s local implementing partner NGO “Lojvar” provided psycho-social support to 38 children in need and their families in two service points - in Rushon district and Barushon village.
Regional authorities of GBAO organised a mobile hospital “Caravan of Health” with teams of physicians who visited all the villages affected by the earthquake to conduct medical examinations of the affected population of Bartang and supply them with necessary medications.
UNICEF Emergency Specialist joined the Country Office. He will undertake detailed sectoral field assessment in the week of 11th January 2016.
UNICEF has reprogrammed some internal resources and stocks and received additional support from the CEE/CIS Regional Office.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
On 7th December, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 hit Tajikistan with its epicentre 357 km south- east of the capital Tajikistan (Dushanbe) and 22 km of the Sarez Lake. The earthquake caused significant damages in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO), particularly to communities living in Bartang valley. The confirmed total number of casualties is 2 killed and 10 injured. At least 21 aftershocks have been recorded, some of which have resulted in further damage.
Based on initial inter-agency findings from Gorno-Badakhshan, immediate relief needs of the most vulnerable affected population have been primarily addressed through the resources of both national, international and some private sector actors. In addition, the initial needs analysis indicate that food, coal, winter clothing, hygiene items, cooking stoves and sanitation facilities are expected to be continued priority needs due to lack of livelihoods opportunities for affected population and lengthy severe weather conditions in GornoBadakhshan.