The Pyanj River originates in the Pamir Highlands, runs along the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan form east to west, and finally pours into the Aral sea. During the Soviet Union era, dikes were constructed to prevent damages from the floods caused by the melting of the glaciers and snow accumulated in the highlands.

Since 1992, however, when Tajikistan turned into a New Independent State, insufficient maintenance of the dikes and frequent floods have deteriorated the flood prevention and mitigation capabilities in the area.

A flood occurred in July of 2005, causing serious damages to nearly 240ha of cultivated areas, roads with a total length of 5km, dikes with a total length of 3.5km, and the water supply systems in 3 districts. The affected area totaled 4,000ha while the loses amounted to 50 million USD in monetary terms.

In order to prevent another disaster of this magnitude, a flood mitigation plan and disaster prevention strategies were formulated, and pilot projects were actually implemented. Also, technical transfer was carried out to the local staff.