Pilot Sites
The GLOFCA project spans vulnerable communities located across various mountain ranges in Central Asia, covering a vast area of almost 350,000 km². The project implements specific interventions at four pilot sites, encompassing 7 locations identified through consultations with local governments and communities. These sites have been selected based on the high risk of Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) they face.
Central Asian Mountains – Overview
Kazakhstan
Pilot Site 1: Talgar River Basin
Overview: 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.
Video of the mudflow that occurred on July 21, 2023, in the river basin of the Left Talgar.
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.

Cultural Significance: The Talgar settlement (8th-13th centuries) is located near the southern outskirts of modern-day Talgar within the basin. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in Kazakhstan and a monument of national historical and cultural significance. The settlement is also recognized as one of the sites along the Great Silk Road in the Chang’an-Tian-Shan Corridor.
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.

Pilot site 2: Yesik River Basin
Overview: The Yesik River Basin is classified as a Category 1 mudflow hazard area. The river basin’s catchment area covers 300 km², and the river is 98 km long. There are 49 glaciers in the upper reaches of the basin with a total area of 44.524 km².
Hazard Exposure and Risk: The high-altitude zone of the Yesik River basin contains 23 moraine-glacial lakes and 2 landslide-dammed lakes. Out of these, 8 lakes pose a threat of catastrophic outburst mudflows. The basin includes 5 particularly dangerous areas that threaten 36 structures, including residential areas, communication lines, agricultural lands, and infrastructure. The city of Yesik, surrounding rural districts, holiday villages, road bridges, and other critical objects are at risk.
History:
- In 1963, a mudflow destroyed part of a pioneer camp below the lake, an asphalt road, and a telephone line between the city of Yesik and Lake Yesik. The mudflow also damaged hydroelectric power station intake structures, houses of the local wine farm, and other economic objects. Approximately 200 buildings, including residential homes, were destroyed in total.
- In 2003, a flood exceeding 30 m³/sec caused significant material damage, washing out road sections, bridge crossings, and power lines.
An example of a mudflow in 2023, according to Kazselzashita.
Measures: The Yesik River basin is equipped with 13 hydraulic structures: 10 low-pressure spillway dams, 1 stabilized riverbed within the city limits of Yesik, 1 complex of hydraulic structures at Lake Yesik, and 1 “Kremnevka” mudflow-retaining dam. 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.

Cultural Significance: The Issyk burial mounds located in the basin are part of the preliminary list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kazakhstan, included in the complex “Great Silk Road: prehistoric burial sites Besshatyr, Boraldai, and Issyk.”
GLOFCA Project: As part of the GLOFCA project, the Yesik River basin is undergoing risk assessments and response planning for mudflow threats. The project implements measures to evaluate potential hazards and introduce cost-effective adaptation strategies to reduce risks for the local community.
Kyrgyz Republic


The Ala-Archa river valley is one of the most mudflow prone mountain valleys of the northern Tien Shan. There are more than 15 lakes in the Ala-Archa river valley. A number of factors such as powerful glaciation, high-altitude outburst prone lakes, deep dissected relief and its significant steepness, high altitude of watershed ridges, huge amounts of loose clastic material contribute to mudflow formation. Therefore, the risks of floods and mudflows on the territory of the Ala-Archa park remain a highly acute and important issue.
Lake Tosor formed in an intra-moraine depression at the end of the 20th century and refers to moraine-glacial type. It was registered as an outburst mountain lake during the aerovisual survey in 2010. The lake is located in the upper valley of the Tosor river’s right-side tributary at altitude of 3853 m above sea level. The tongue of the glacier falls into the lake, which indicates activity of its development and possible outburst hazard. Potentially affected areas include pastures, access roads, as well as the Bishkek-Karakol highway. The Tosor village with a local community of 1971 people (as of 2009) is outside of the potential affected area, but it should be checked by modelling an outburst flood and calculating a mudflow affected area.
According to experts, there are from 8 (CAIAG) to 18 (NAS KR) lakes in the Aksai-Ton rivers valleys. All lakes belong to the moraine-glacial type and are non-stable. These lakes are characterized by rapid filling of depressions within a few months and subsequent outburst

Uzbekistan
In Uzbekistan’s Pskem River basin, two lakes — Shavurkul and Ikhnach — pose a potential risk to the downstream communities of Pskem and Tepar.
Pilot Sites 1 and 2: Tepar Village, Teparsai Gorge, and Pskem Village, Pskem River Basin
Overview:
The two pilot sites of the project—Tepar and Pskem villages—are located in the middle reaches of the Pskem River, on its highest terrace. Pskem Village is the last populated settlement in the river valley, with beekeeping sites, national park checkpoints, border posts, and the Maidontal and Oigaing meteorological stations situated further upstream.
The population of Pskem Village is 1,035 people (420 women, 615 men, and 17 individuals with disabilities). The population of Tepar and Takayangak villages, which form one administrative unit, is 960 people (447 men, 486 women, and 15 individuals with disabilities).
In the upper reaches of the Pskem River lie the glacial lakes Shavurkool and Ikhnach, with volumes of 4.5 million and 5 million cubic meters, respectively. The area is highly susceptible to active exogenous processes, including mudflows, landslides, and rockfalls.
History:
Rain-induced mudflows have been recorded in the Pskem River Valley, causing damage to infrastructure and partially blocking the riverbed. Although no outbursts from glacial or moraine-dammed lakes have occurred to date, there is potential risk, particularly from the lakes in the Ikhnachkul system and the moraine-dammed Shavurkool Lake.
Hazards and Risks:
The Pskem River Basin houses the Teparsai Hydropower Station, with the smaller Mulallinskaya Hydropower Station located downstream. In 2023, the construction of the Teparsai dam was completed, raising the water level by 160 meters and forming the Teparsai Reservoir, which spans approximately 20 kilometers and has a capacity of 500 million cubic meters. Additionally, the construction of the Taliksai Hydropower Station is underway, with the KarangitugaiHydropower Station planned for the future.
The construction activities, including blasting and transporting rock materials, as well as the development of major transport routes for delivering construction supplies, have disrupted the geological integrity of the terrain. This disruption can potentially activate ancient landslides with volumes of 20–30 million cubic meters and trigger new technogenic landslides.
Rockfalls into the Pskem River could generate waves capable of damaging downstream dams. The river’s maximum discharge exceeds 200 cubic meters per second. The region is also vulnerable to mudflows caused by rainfall, snowmelt, and glacial melt. These processes pose ongoing risks to personnel at construction sites and the increasing number of tourists visiting the area.
Measures:
To mitigate risks, regular aerial and expedition surveys of the lakes in the Pskem River Basin are conducted by UZGIDROMET and the Institute of Geology and Geophysics. These include bathymetric and hydrometeorological observations.
Cultural Significance:
The development of hydrotechnical infrastructure and the growth in tourism have significantly increased anthropogenic pressure on the region, emphasizing the need for additional disaster risk reduction measures.
GLOFCA Project:
In 2025, as part of the GLOFCA project, monitoring equipment will be installed on high-risk lakes (Ikhnachkul system, Shavurkool, and Urungach system) to monitor water levels and hydrometeorological conditions, along with early warning systems as needed. Landslide monitoring sensors will also be installed. The data collected will support risk assessment and mitigation, ensuring the safety of local communities and construction sites.