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Pilot Projects: Tajikistan

Kyrgyzstan’s northern Tien Shan is home to dozens of unstable glacial lakes. In Ala-Archa and Tosor, GLOFCA monitors high-risk zones and supports preparedness in local communities. These remote alpine valleys are hotspots for mudflows and outburst floods triggered by glacier retreat.

Pilot site 1

  • Overview: Talgar River Basin
The Talgar River is the main water artery of the Talgar district, playing a crucial role in the region’s economy. The river basin is located in the Ile Alatau mountains, characterized by a complex mountainous terrain. The northern slope of the basin consists of several ridges that serve as watersheds for mountain rivers. The main rivers in the basin—Right, Middle, and Left Talgar—originate from the slopes of Ile Alatau. The basin’s catchment area is situated in a significant glaciation center known as the Talgar Mountain Knot, home to 129 glaciers covering a total area of 98.063 km². The Talgar River Basin covers a catchment area of 444.5 km², with the Left Talgar accounting for 273 km², the Middle for 103 km², and the Right Talgar for 68.5 km². The Talgar River basin has a catchment area of 444.5 km², with the Left Talgar accounting for 273 km², the Middle Talgar 103 km², and the Right Talgar 68.5 km².
  • Hazard Exposure and Risk
In the high-altitude zone, at 3000-3700 meters above sea level, there are moraine lakes that pose a potential mudflow threat. Nearly all of these lakes are of glacial origin. This zone contains 22 moraine-glacial lakes, with 7 of them representing the highest risk. These lakes are classified as first-category mudflow hazards. The river basin has 4 mudflow-prone areas that directly threaten about 92 structures, including settlements, communication lines, and agricultural lands.
  • History
Mudflows in the Talgar River Basin occur almost annually, with the most significant events recorded in 1921, 1940, 1947, 1950, 1960-1961, 1965-1967, 1970-1979, 1983-1984, 1988-1998, 2009-2010, 2014-2015, and 2023.
  • Measures
A mudflow-retaining dam has been constructed within the basin in 2005 and is classified as a Category II structure. The dam, built from gravelly-cobble soils of riverbed deposits, has the following geometric parameters: base width of 110 meters, crest width of 3-4 meters, height of 50 meters, and length (across the riverbed) of 400 meters. Total discharge capacity of the water-passing galleries: 76 m³/sec, threshold elevation for catastrophic mudflow discharge: 1,193 m, mudflow discharge height: 45 meters. Specialists from Kazselezashchita regularly conduct aerial and ground surveys of moraine-glacial lakes, evacuation channels, and mudflow masses, as well as preventive measures to reduce water levels in lakes to safe levels.
  • GLOFCA Project:
As part of the GLOFCA project, a modern early warning system will be developed and installed to mitigate the risk of glacial lake outburst floods in the Talgar River basin.