Kyrgyzstan remains highly vulnerable to natural hazards, ranking third among the most climate-risk-prone countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) reported.
Floods and mudflows are the most frequent natural disasters, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all emergencies in the country. In recent years, both their frequency and economic impact have sharply increased.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES), in 2024 the number of mudflows reached its highest level in 30 years, causing $14.5 million in damage to infrastructure. These incidents made up 90 percent of all disaster-related material losses recorded that year.
With support from the Government of Switzerland, the MES and WFP are launching a new phase of a program to strengthen the ministry’s capacity in disaster-risk reduction and geospatial hazard mapping.
The program focuses on practical applications. Participants will be trained in methods that use satellite radar signals to detect small changes in the Earth’s surface, as well as in flood and mudflow forecasting models.
These tools will allow MES specialists to analyze before-and-after satellite imagery to identify signs of ground movement—such as heaving before a flood or shifting before a mudflow. At the same time, forecast modeling will help experts predict the volume, speed, and path of movement.
Such modeling plays a crucial role in risk assessment and early-warning systems, enabling experts to identify potential mudflow and flood zones in advance and assess the threat to local communities.
