DUSHANBE, April 10, Asia-Plus  -- On Tuesday April11, President Emomali Rahmonov will visit the Hamadoni district in Khatlon to familiarize himself with a progress of work on mitigating effects of floods that hit the district last summer, according to information from the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES).  

During his stay in the Hamadoni district President Rahmonov also will visit the water-intake facility “Chubek”.  

The MES source says the rehabilitation woks in Hamadoni have been ongoing since the disaster affected the district in the summer last year.  “400 servicemen of the MES sub-units and employees of the construction organizations of the Ministry of Land Reclamation and Water Resources have been involved in the rehabilitation works in the district, the source said.   

Last summer, as a result of increase in waters level in the Panj River 1,519 houses were damaged and 11,509 people were left homeless.   

According estimates of international organizations, damage caused by floods to Hamadoni has amounted to USE53 million.  The country’s government has provided some US$10 million for reconstruction of the riverbank protection works in the district.  

Recently, Tajikistan’s MES and Japan’s International Cooperation Agency (JICA) reached an agreement on preparations of a preliminary report on preventing natural disasters on the Panj River.  The report will be used on carrying out riverbank reinforcement works on the Panj River.  

“In this connection, a special commission has been set up that will monitor the river’s current during the year,” the source said, noting that special equipment to monitor water level will be installed in the Hamadoni district.