Members of Tajikistan’s lower chamber (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament (Majlisi Oli) have decided to donate their five-day salaries to help residents of the Kulob area of the Khatlon province affected by floods and mudslides caused by heavy rains on May 11.

Employees of all departments of the Majlisi Namoyandagon and technical staff of the parliament have joined parliamentarians in their initiative to help families in Kulob affected by recent natural disasters, Muhammadato Sultonov, a spokesman for the Majlisi Namoyandagon, told Asia-Plus in an interview. 

According to him, the allocated amount will be enough for the construction of two houses.

Sultonov did not specify how much cash has been allocated.

Recall, heavy rains on May 11 caused a series of floods and mudslides that hit at least fifteen districts in Khatlon and province districts subordinate to the center, damaging many homes, bridges, and other infrastructure, as well as public administration buildings.

In the city of Kulob, floods reportedly damaged residential buildings located along Zavod and Sadikov streets as well as in Faizobodi Bolo, Pervomay, Rahimzoda and Pashadara mahallas.  

The mudslides also hit Danghara, Vose, Muminobod and Shamsiddin-Shohin districts in the Kulob area of the southern Khatlon province.     

Some areas of Vakhsh district (Vakhsh Valley) in Khatlon province suffered by mudslides on May 12 after a day of heavy rain.  The villages of Ittifoq, Mash’al and Vahdat were hard hit, with a total of 36 houses destroyed and several others partially damaged.  Fortunately no human casualties were reported. 

Tajik officials say mudslides triggered by heavy rains have killed nine people in the country.   The Emergencies Committee said in a statement on May 12 that the mudslides killed eight people in Khatlon province, including three people killed in the city of Kulob, three people killed in Shamsiddin-Shohin District, one person killed in Kushoniyon district and one person killed in Vakhsh district.  

Besides, one person was killed by a mudslide in Hisor (western Tajikistan). 

At least five people, including two women and three young children, were buried in a house hit by a landslide that occurred in Ismoili Somoni jamoat of Devashtich (formerly Ghonchi) district in the northern province of Sughd on May 18.