KYRGYZ REPUBLICI.

Natural hazards in Kyrgyz Republic

1.1 Natural hazards likely to affect the countrySlides, earthquake, epidemic, extreme temperature, flood
1.2 Recent major disasters
year2005
2004
2004
2004

dis_subset killedinjured total_affected dam (US ‘000s)
Flood
3020502660――
Landslide50―
Landslide33
1696―
Avalanche
1122

Source: ”EM-DAT: The OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database,www.em-dat.net - Université catholique de Louvain - Brussels Belgium"
Natural Hazards related to slopes such as flash floods, mudflows,avalanches and landslides also represent a great threat to more than two
thirds of the people living in the country. 94.6% of the territory consistsof mountains, whose altitude is higher than 1,000 m above sea level, and
56% higher than 2,500m, the highest peak culminating at 7,436 above
sea level. The first of the year 2005 alone, more than 100 landslides,
mudflows, avalanches and localized floods have so far struck the country.
In 2004 many people were killed in avalanches.
In response to natural disasters, the Ministry of Emergency Situations,in cooperation with local authorities, has made the following efforts:
z 70 yurts, 23 shepherd houses, about 8,000 tents, clothes and foodwere sent to the regions affected by the earthquake in 1992
z in 1997-98, about 30,000 dwellings were repaired, restored orpurchased for displaced people and the construction of several
thousand homes was started
z 182 schools, 40 public health units, dozens of cultural, public anddomestic units have been repairedz dozens of kilometers of roads and other communications have beenrepairedz dozens of kilometers of dykes have been built to protect thousands ofdwellings, several schools and farms units. 1

1 http://www.unece.org/env/epr/studies/kyrgyzstan/chapter03.pdf

II.

Disaster Management system

2.1 Administrative system
Conventional long form:
Kyrgyz Republic
Conventional short form: Kyrgyzstan
Government type:republic
Capital:
Bishkek
Administrative Divisions: 7 provinces (oblastlar, singular - oblasty) and1 city* (shaar); note: administrative divisions
have the same names as their administrative
centers (exceptions have the administrative
center name following in parentheses)
2.2 Legal system, legal framework
The Ministry of Emergency Situations has the main responsibility fordeveloping a unified State policy for the prevention, mitigation andresponse to natural disasters, as well as for coordinating the activities
between other ministries.
According to Government Decree No. 198 of 2 May 1996, the Prime
Minister is the Chief of Civil Defense and the Minister for Emergency
Situations is the First Deputy Chief. The Ministry of Emergency
Situations is an independent institutional structure responsible forworking out measures for the prevention of emergencies, the protectionof people and national property, and for increasing the stability ofeconomic objects in the event of a disaster. The Ministry of Emergency
Situations was also responsible for coordinating and promoting activities
within the framework of the International Decade for Natural Disaster
Reduction (1990-2000). The Ministry has large requisitionary powers
over the personnel and equipment of other government services inemergencies. The Ministry has specialized civil defense units, which
consist of public agencies and institutions (militia, fire brigade, medicalservices, etc.) and are enlisted to accomplish special tasks in emergencies.
At the oblast and local levels, the Ministry works through its local units
and local State administrations. The Centre for Emergency Managementand Coordination at the Ministry of Emergency Situations collects,
analyses, processes and disseminates data related to disastermanagement, thereby serving as a tool for the communication of disaster
information and the preparation of disaster forecasts that are used ingovernment decision-making.
The Ministry has the following structure and consists of:zzCentral office
Division of Civil Defensezzzz

Board for dealing with the consequences of disasters
State reserve fundState mining engineering supervision
Local MC&CD units

The laws and regulations governing natural disasters, which Kyrgyzstan
inherited from the Soviet period, are gradually being replaced oramended by new laws and regulations. The major problem, however, liesin their implementation. Many regulations have not been fully
implemented because of a lack of funds. The standard documents
regulating anti-seismic measures are being worked out by the Institutefor Seismic Resistant Construction (Ministry of Architecture andConstruction). The Institute is also responsible for the evaluation of theseismic resistance of buildings as well as the engineering inspection ofexisting buildings. The first step taken by the Ministry of Architectureand Construction to reduce earthquake losses was the development of aset of seismic building codes. The codes have been revised 5 times sincethe 1960s, and the following building standards and regulations are
currently in force:zz

Building in seismic zones, valid since 1981 (SniP II A. 12-62)
Building in the zones with seismicity of more than 9 units, valid asof 1994 (SniP 2.01.02-94 KR)Building in Bishkek taking into account seismic zoning and soilgeological conditions, valid as of 1993 (Snip 2.01-93 KR)z Seismic evaluation of existing buildings, in force since 1998 (SniPz22-01-98 KR)

zRe-profiling of existing residential buildings, adopted 1999 (SniPKR 31-01-99)

The analysis by the Institute for Seismic Resistant Construction of theaftermath of earthquakes which have occurred during the past years in
Kyrgyzstan shows that the 85 per cent degree of damage to brickbuildings was twice as high as expected given the standards. This ispartly due to shoddy building work and the absence of some anti-seismic
measures foreseen by the standards. In 1998, the Regulation on Seismic
evaluation of existing buildings empowered the Ministry of Architectureand Construction to inspect public buildings and enterprises in order toevaluate their seismic resistance and to make recommendations for theirstrengthening. In cases of violation, the inspectors can propose to limit orsuspend the activities of the enterprise, or to cancel the permits. TheInstitute for Seismic Resistant Construction is currently drafting a newbuilding code. All the designing documentation on hydraulic structures
and the architecture legislation of the Republic are examined by experts
from the State Expertise agencies of the Ministry of Architecture andConstruction, in order to check their compliance with the standard
documents in force.

2.3 Structure of disaster management
The Ministry of Emergency Situations, Kyrgyz Republic is the primeorganization taking charge of disaster reduction efforts in the country.

Ministry of Emergency Situations

Central State
Department of Emergencies Monitoring,
Forecasting and Mining TailingManagement

Department Prevention and Liquidation ofConsequences Emergency Situation

Central Management for Civil
DefenseSouthern Regional Department ofPrevention and Liquidation ofConsequences in Emergency Situation

Department of Ecology andNature Management
Central Management forHydrometeorology
Department ofAviation
Mobile Mechanization
Detachment

Republican fund for Nature
Preservation
Regional and Bishkek municipal
environment Preservation Management

State engineeringsupervision
Central Management national FireFighting Service

2.4 Priority on disaster risk management
III.

Disaster management planIV.

Budget size on national level

Funds for disaster management are scarce. All enterprises allot 1.5 percent of their turnover for disaster management. In 1999, this amount
totaled 255.4 million soms. At present, as resources are limited, the mostvigorous efforts are focused on post-disaster rescue and repairing theconsequences of disasters; less than 1 per cent of the disastermanagement budget of the Ministry of Emergency Situations is allocatedfor preventive measures. However, a number of initiatives have beentaken in cooperation with multilateral and bilateral partners to develop
expertise in the area of disaster preparedness, mitigation and response.
V.

Progress and situations of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA)VI.

Project on disaster reduction headed by MME

Project Title: Capacity Building of the Population of Kyrgyz Republic inDisaster Reduction
Program Objectives: The main objective of the project is to strengthen
the capacity of the people of the Kyrgyz to deal with natural disasters.
The target groups of the project are: central and local official, school
teachers, pupils and students, journalists, community leaders and otherimportant actors of disaster reduction.
Specifically, the project aims to:1) raise public awareness on disaster reduction2) Increase knowledge and skills in disaster reduction, preparedness
and response; and3) Incorporate a holistic, integrated and comprehensive approach todisaster reduction in daily life of the population
Project Duration: August 1, 2005 – March 31, 2006
Implementing Agency: Department of Emergencies Monitoring,Forecasting an Mining Tailing Management, Ministry of Emergency
Situations, Kyrgyz Republic
Primary Beneficiaries: Recipients of the educational/training materials
and participants of the seven (7) seminars
Secondary beneficiaries:

residents of the Kyrgyz Republic

Brief Description of the project: The Kyrgyz Republic is a mountainous
country vulnerable to a variety of natural disasters. The common natural
hazards which pose threat to the population include flash floods, mudflow, avalanches, landslides and earthquakes. The population at risk tonatural hazards amounts to more than two thirds of the total populationof the country. Further, the number of natural disasters is increasing
due to the active seismic activities, global warming, growing populationand the territory’s infrastructure, thus, the need to increase the capacityof the country in disaster reduction, preparedness and response isurgently required. The Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz
Republic, with financial and technical assistance from the Asian
Disaster Reduction Center, will implement a cooperative project to raise
the public awareness among the general public and to train the key
stakeholders using the training and educational materials to be preparedby the project.

Strategy The project will produce information and educational /training
materials such as training books, atlases and methodological manuals toimprove knowledge and enhance awareness in disaster reduction,
preparedness and response. It will then disseminate them to all kinds ofeducational institutions, libraries, local governmental institutions andthe population in general. Further, the project will conduct training
seminars in different districts of the country, using the materials
developed.
Institutional Arrangements The project will be implemented in theframework of Cooperative Project Program, set up by ADRC in order tostrengthen the disaster reduction capacity of member countries.
The Dept of Emergencies Monitoring and Forecasting and Mining
Tailing Management, Ministry of Ecology and Emergency Situations ofthe Kyrgyz Republic will be mainly responsible for implementing theproject.
Project Outputs:• educational and training materials developed by the project arewidely disseminated among the population in general and used
for their training;• the population in general are informed properly of the existingsources of hazards and their consequences, and to enhance,
through training, people’s skills to protect themselves against all
types of disasters including natural, man caused, ecological,biological and social disasters; and• the population, after the completion of the project, will haveincreased awareness of the need to incorporate a holistic,
integrated and comprehensive approach to disaster reduction
and have sufficient knowledge and skill to prevent and respondto disasters.
VII.

ADRC Counterpart
Head of International Cooperation Department
Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic
2/1 Toktonaliev, 720055 Bishkek city