DUSHANBE, April 10, Asia-Plus  -- An emergency situation has emerged in the Darvoz district, Gorno Badakhshan as a landslide caused by torrential rain dammed the Rogh River on April 7, creating a large lake, according to the Committee for Emergency Situations (CES).

The source at a CES said that some 12,000 cubic meters of slurry and boulders dammed the Rogh River, changing the course of the river.  The area is threatened by flooding as a lake was created by the landslide near the village of Qalai Husein.  “Flooding threatens three nearby villages,” the source added.

According to him, if the river does not return to its previous bed within the next few days they will have to evacuate residents of those three villages to safe places.  The CES specialists are currently working at the landslide site to closely monitor the situation, the source said   

We will recall that similar situation was in the Nourobod district, some 130 kilometers east of Dushanbe, in late March this year, when a huge mass of loose earth and boulders broke away from a mountainside, damming the Surkhob River.  A large lake, some 3 kilometers in length and more than 200 meters in width, was created by the landslide; the depth of the lake was some 25 meters.  400 residents of four nearby villages were relocated to safe place.  Fortunately, the situation ended well and people returned to their houses.