OSCE concludes EU-funded training course on surface water rescue operations

On 14 October 2023, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (Office) completed a two-week training course on “Surface Water Rescue Operation” for representatives of Tajikistan’s Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence (CoESCD). The course was held in Levakand city (Khatlon region) and aimed at improving the skills and capacities of rescuers in conducting surface water rescue operations by using motorboats and other techniques.

A total of 20 rescuers from across Tajikistan were able to practice and enhance their skills including in operating a motorboat, providing first medical aid to a rescued/drowned person, applying various types of rescue equipment during search and rescue operations on water and conducting on-water operations using two boats simultaneously. Theoretical sessions were held in the CoESCD’s Office in Bokhtar and practical courses were conducted in water areas of the Vakhsh River as well as the Levakand reservoir.

The event was conducted as part of the OSCE project on the Stabilization of Tajikistan’s southern borders with Afghanistan, funded by the European Union. The project aims to strengthen the professional capacities of both Tajikistan’s Border Troops and the Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence to combat illicit activities in border regions and respond to natural disasters.