Ashgabat, July 30 - Arzuw.news. The United Nations Development Program in Turkmenistan together with the Government of Turkmenistan has officially completed a large-scale project to strengthen the national capacity in the field of seismic risk assessment and earthquake prevention. Arzuw.news reports citing a source.
The project was implemented from 2018 to 2025 and aimed to strengthen Turkmenistan's resilience to seismic threats, especially in the capital city. The final meeting of the project board was held on July 28 at the UN building in Ashgabat with the participation of representatives of government ministries, scientific institutions and local authorities.
The project was financed mainly by the Government of Turkmenistan with additional support from UNDP. As part of seismic risk assessment in Ashgabat, two digital GIS platforms - ASTERHAZ and ASTERRISK - were developed for the first time in the country, and more than 40 buildings and over 10 educational institutions were surveyed.
The Institute of Seismology and Atmospheric Physics of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan received modern scientific equipment and software worth more than 650 thousand US dollars. More than 100 experts have undergone specialized trainings, and training materials have been developed, including a trilingual terminology dictionary and a textbook on seismic risk assessment.
During the project, national methodological recommendations on earthquake preparedness were prepared, a centralized seismic data processing center was established, and a draft law on seismic safety was developed. The initiative involved the Ministries of Defense, Education, Health and Medical Industry, Construction and Architecture, and the Research Institute of Earthquake Engineering of Turkmenistan.
A second phase of the project is planned, which will extend the seismic risk assessment to the cities of Arkadag, Balkanabat, Turkmenbashi and the Avaza National Tourist Zone.
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