In 2010， severe flooding killed more than a dozen people and destroyed 500 homes in Kulyab city， south-western Tajikistan.

“We lost all our belongings， including hopes for a better future as a result of the flood，” says local resident Saidmuhiddin Sharipov， whose home was severely damaged because of the flood.

Although flooding hits the region every year， a subsequent assessment of the disaster by UNDP and the government revealed that one of the causes of the 2010 inundation was a clogged and poorly maintained canal system. Today however， the city’s large gravel plant， which had stood empty and abandoned for decades， is at the centre of a UNDP-supported project that plans to make floods like this a distant memory， while creating new jobs.

Until recently the plant’s colossal machinery and deserted factory buildings were slowly succumbing to rust and mildew. Since 1991， shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union and Tajikistan's subsequent independence， the dilapidated factory had been left largely forgotten. Now， however， the plant is back up and running， using sand and stone in the canal to feed its gravel production.

“We found that the Tebolay canal was filled with sand and stone，” UNDP’s Abdullo Guliev says. “The purpose of this canal was to lower the risk of flooding， but it had been left unmaintained.”

In addition to an immediate cleanup of the canal， a team of experts from UNDP and the government began to look at longer-term solutions to the repeated floods.

“We wanted something sustainable， not just a quick fix that we would have to deal with again in five or ten years，” Guliev says. “This way， the canals will be cleaned regularly. By partnering with the private sector and investing a little in the rehabilitation we can keep the canals clean and strengthen the economy in the process.”

With a US $185，000 grant from UNDP， the plant is now operational， processing up to 50 tons of gravel per day and keeping the canal drained and providing at least 15 full-time jobs in the process.

Besides the immediate benefits， the plant has also boosted the local economy by purchasing equipment from local suppliers and selling gravel and bricks on the market. In addition， precedence has been given in the recruitment process to those who were most affected by the 2010 floods， thereby helping them regain lost livelihoods and homes.

Saidmuhiddin Sharipov is one of those people. Previously unemployed and traveling to Russia for employment， today he works at the newly refurbished gravel plant， earning approximately $372 per month – quite a significant amount in a country where nominal GDP per capita is about $950 per year.

2010年塔吉克斯坦西南部庫利亞布遭受嚴(yán)重洪災(zāi)，500多戶人家受災(zāi)，財物損失慘重。盡管該地區(qū)每年都會遭受洪災(zāi)，但聯(lián)合國開發(fā)計劃署和政府透露這次洪災(zāi)原因在于附近年久失修堵塞嚴(yán)重的運河，于是在開發(fā)計劃署的支持下，當(dāng)?shù)刈畲蟮纳暗[場在蘇聯(lián)解體，塔吉克斯坦獨立時被廢棄的幾十年后重新開始運營，使用運河河道里的沙石生產(chǎn)砂石，在當(dāng)?shù)厥袌錾铣鍪郏云跍p少洪災(zāi)并創(chuàng)造工作機會，還起到了促進當(dāng)?shù)亟?jīng)濟發(fā)展的長遠(yuǎn)效果。特伯雷運河本是為了降低洪災(zāi)風(fēng)險，卻因沙石堵塞適得其反，與此同時，開發(fā)計劃署和當(dāng)?shù)卣谘芯繎?yīng)對頻發(fā)洪災(zāi)的長期方案。開發(fā)計劃署共撥款18.5萬美元，工廠每天可處理50噸砂石，至少提供了15個全職工作崗位，月薪達(dá)372美元，這個數(shù)字在年人均GDP僅為950美元的塔吉克斯坦相當(dāng)可觀。

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