Kyrgyzstan Humanitarian Response - Who What Where

Environment and environmental hazards

Kyrgyzstan's territory stretches 199,900 sq km. Some 80% of the country is covered by mountains (The Tian Shan mountain range). The country is rich in natural resources: with hydro-power; significant deposits of gold and rare metals; locally exploitable coal, oil and natural gas; and deposits o nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead and zinc.  The climate is sharp continental and varies widely depending on altitude (between 7,500 meters and 400 meters above sea-level) and time of year. In summer it can reach 40° C in the low lying areas of Fergana Valley, while winter temperatures can reach -30°C. The mountainous relief of the country means it has exceptional climatic diversity, with four climate zones, each of which has sub-zones.

Climate change

 The average annual atmospheric air temperature in Kyrgyzstan rose by 1.6ºC or 16% in the 20^th century, compared to a global average temperature rise of 0.6ºC. Precipitation in Kyrgyzstan had risen by 6% only. There has been a steady process of desertification in the country, which is occuring twice as fast as global trend and is accompanied by a decrease of snow cover and glaciers of the Tien-Shan mountains – the main source for irrigation and drinking water for the population of Central Asia. Intensive melting of glaciers is leading to increased river flows. According to scientific forecasts, river flow will increase by 10% in the next 20-30 years, but by 2030 it may drop by 25-35% if no action is taken to maintain water sources including glaciers.

 Natural hazards

The most dangerous natural disasters in the country are earthquakes, flooding, land slides, avalanches, snow storms, and mountain lake spills. Serious earthquakes have hit Batken (2006), Naryn (2007) and Osh (2008) regions recently. Earlier, in the '90s, the southern part of Kyrgyzstan was struck three times by tremors between 6.6 and 7.3 on the Richter scale. The Ministry of Emergency has identified over 5,000 potential land-slide sites, which account for the highest number of deaths. Mudflows and floods also cause significant damage. Floods are either initiated by heavy rain, snow or ice melting and breach of dams. Some 200 high altitude mountains lakes have been assessed unstable.

High vulnerability to natural disasters is due not only to geological and geographical features but also to the economic constraints of the transition period. Large glaciers in the mountains play a key role in water balance and maintaining climate conditions of the whole of Central Asia. These are unique frozen reservoirs of fresh water for several countries in the region.

Source: Central Asia and Caucasus Disaster Risk Management Initiative

	Statistics by Disasters Type	Natural Disaster Occurence reported

Summarized Table of Natural Disasters in Kyrgyzstan from 2000 to 2009