Uzbeks search for answers and stability after deadly dam collapse, 23 September 2020

Some dams last a thousand years. But Sardoba collapsed on May 1 after just three years, its mighty waters washing away villages of more than 35,000 hectares (86,486 acres) of land in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

Maria and her family escaped in the last moment before the waves took their home and everything they owned.

“We have lost everything. Nothing was spared. I stayed with one dress,” says the 65-year-old, her voice trembling and tears running down her fatigued face... “They have been sending us from one place to another. We are tired. I don’t even know whom I can ask for help. Nobody visits us to check how we live. The food is bad, it’s cold and we don’t have enough clothes,” she says.

“How can they do this to us? Some rooms are shared by two families. It wasn’t like this even during wartime. They are harrowing the nation.”

Six people lost their lives and 100,000 were temporarily displaced in both Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan as a result of the disaster.

Despite the scope of the tragedy, for the past four months, local officials have prevented journalists from investigating victims’ claims of mistreatment, and the causes of the disaster...

A visit from an official responsible for assessing the damages gave them hope. He said those who need help in rebuilding their homes will receive an equivalent of $4,000. It soon turned out, however, many of the villagers will never see the promised funds. According to residents, only those neighbours with connections and those who were willing to pay high bribes to the local commission have managed to rebuild their homes...

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev called a commission to investigate the circumstances of the disaster, which included those responsible for constructing the dam.