Director of XIEG Awarded with Tajikistan's Honorary Medal for Cooperation in the Field of Emergency and Civil Defense

On May 30, at the invitation of the Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense of Tajikistan (hereinafter referred to as the “KHF”), Prof. ZHANG Yuanming, Director of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, attended a meeting with Colonel General Rajabali Rahmonali, Chairman of KHF, in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. During the meeting, Prof. ZHANG Yuanming was awarded the Honorary Medal for cooperation in the field of emergency situations and civil defense, in recognition of his contribution to the bilateral cooperation between China and Tajikistan in the fields of emergency response and civil defense.

ZHANG Yuanming expressed his sincere gratitude for the medal awarded by the Tajik side. He noted that the accomplishments to date are the result of deep mutual trust and close collaboration between the two sides. He also expressed his willingness to further expand bilateral cooperation. Rajabali Rahmonali spoke highly of the close cooperation and significant achievements in disaster monitoring between the KHF, the XIEG, and theCAS Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia (Dushanbe).

The two parties reviewed their collaborative efforts and outcomes in disaster risk monitoring and reached a new consensus on strengthening scientific research, technological application, and capacity building in the prevention and control of snow-and ice-related disasters in Tajikistan.

At the end of the meeting, ZHANG Yuanming presented Rajabali Rahmonali with the Glacier Atlas of Tajikistan and the Glacier Map of the Republic of Tajikistan, both compiled by XIEG based on high-resolution satellite imagery.

Over the past six years, scientists from XIEG and Tajikistan have jointly carried out research using modern remote sensing and satellite navigation technologies. A complete set of monitoring equipment was installed at the Usoi Dam of Lake Sarez in Tajikistan. The data from the system is transmitted in real time to the Information Center of KHF via China’s BeiDou Satellite Navigation System. This setup has enabled continuous, real-time, millimeter-level deformation monitoring of the dam, providing essential scientific and technological support for its safe operation.

In 2025, the CAS Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia launched a key scientific research project titled “Integrated Monitoring and Risk Early Warning Technology Development and Demonstration for Water-Related Disasters in High-Mountain Areas of Central Asia”. The project integrates drone technology and ground-based monitoring stations to carry out real-time avalanche monitoring and early warning research in the Maykhura area of the Varzob River Basin and along the Dushanbe–Khujand national highway in Tajikistan. The monitoring and early warning system has been successfully integrated into the operational command system of the KHF and is functioning effectively. Through this project, China and Tajikistan will jointly establish long-term observation sites, further improve data sharing and joint early warning mechanisms, and provide scientific support for the prevention and control of water-related disasters in Tajikistan.

Bilateral meeting. (Image by XIEG)

Rajabali Rahmonali Presents the Honorary Medal to ZHANG Yuanming (Image by XIEG)

ZHANG Yuanming Presents the Glacier Atlas of Tajikistan to Rajabali Rahmonali (Image by XIEG)

Contact

LONG Huaping

Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography

E-mail: longhp@ms.xjb.ac.cn

Web: http://english.egi.cas.cn