Central Asian countries are working on a joint plan to reduce the damage caused by floods and mudflows, as officials and environmental specialists warn that natural disasters are costing the region around $10 billion a year.
The proposed roadmap was discussed at a regional meeting in Bishkek on June 24-26, attended by representatives of all five Central Asian states, the World Bank, and several UN bodies. The plan focuses on transboundary mudflows and floods, where risks often cannot be managed by one country alone.
According to Kazakhstan’s state broadcaster 24KZ, experts at the meeting said disaster-related losses in Central Asia could be reduced fivefold through stronger ecosystem protection and better regional coordination. The proposed measures include a shared online catalogue of current and forecast natural hazards, as well as an early-warning system for wildfires.
The discussion comes after a sharp rise in mudflows in Kyrgyzstan. The country has recorded more than 240 mudflows since the start of 2026, already well above the 133 cases registered during the whole of 2024. Between June 19 and 21 alone, Kyrgyz authorities reported 66 mudflow and flooding incidents, with homes, farmland, roads, and other infrastructure damaged.
The deadliest recent incident occurred on June 24, when a mudflow swept away a car on the Osh-Alay highway, killing six people. Emergency officials have said improved response work has helped reduce casualties compared with last year, but the scale of the damage remains severe.
The draft regional roadmap is expected to set out priority protection measures and identify where investment is most urgently needed. It also proposes closer coordination between emergency agencies, which is particularly important in cross-border mountainous areas.
Central Asia is highly exposed to natural hazards, including earthquakes and climate-related disasters. A World Bank blog has previously estimated that natural disasters cause about $10 billion in economic losses across the region each year.
The Bishkek discussions also covered digital tools for monitoring and forecasting climate-related risks. Participants reviewed a shared regional database and an interactive platform intended to improve the exchange of information between national agencies.
Kyrgyzstan’s mountainous geography makes it especially vulnerable, with officials noting that heavier and less predictable rainfall are compounding the problems. The World Bank-backed RESILAND CA+ program is already supporting work at 21 high-risk sites in four Kyrgyz regions, including the restoration of mudflow-protection infrastructure.
The regional plan will not eliminate mudflows or floods, but its supporters argue that better forecasting, stronger protective infrastructure, and more coordinated land management could reduce the human and economic cost of disasters that are becoming harder to treat as purely national problems.
