Perched high in the Son-Kul Range, where snow-covered peaks meet the clouds, the Dolon Avalanche Station has come back to life. First built in 1946, the station has been revived as a modern hub of safety and resilience, thanks to a UNDP initiative supported by the government of Japan.
Long known as a sentinel of the mountains, Dolon was not only a technical facility but also a cultural landmark — featured in the iconic Soviet film I Am Tien Shan, based on Chingiz Aitmatov’s My Poplar in a Red Scarf. After years of abandonment, the station has been fully restored and equipped to once again protect lives on Kyrgyzstan’s high-altitude roads.
Since 2020, regular meteorological monitoring has resumed, and in 2023, the upgraded facility officially reopened. With real-time data collection every three hours — including temperature, wind, snow cover, and precipitation — the station serves as a critical early warning outpost for avalanche-prone areas.
“Our task is to monitor avalanche risks daily,” says Nurbek Isabaev, head of the Dolon station. “Every ten days we conduct detailed studies — measuring snow density, structure, and temperature — to predict the likelihood of avalanches.”
The station tracks 17 hazardous areas along the vital Bishkek-Naryn-Torugart highway, especially the treacherous Kyzyl-Bel pass. It also monitors danger zones along other key roads, including Aksai-Torugart and Aktalaa-Kazarman. When the risk is high, Dolon alerts authorities to temporarily close road segments, preventing potential disasters — especially during winter months when freight trucks from China use the route daily.
Thanks to the UNDP-Japan partnership, Dolon is now a high-tech facility with automatic weather monitoring systems, newly constructed buildings, upgraded transport, and safety gear for staff. The revival is part of a broader disaster risk reduction program across Kyrgyzstan.
Three avalanche monitoring stations — in Dolon, Chapchym, and Bashky-Terek — have been established to strengthen national preparedness. Together, they provide real-time hazard data, improve coordination, and reduce response times.
In addition to infrastructure upgrades, 22 specialized emergency vehicles were deployed, over 100 experts trained in geospatial and remote sensing technologies, and national emergency alert systems expanded to cover three regions. A centralized emergency information management system was also upgraded to improve coordination during crises.
While avalanches are occurring less frequently due to climate change, the risks remain. Dolon’s team now also monitors glacial activity and the condition of alpine lakes that could burst as temperatures rise.
“The climate is changing before our eyes,” says Isabaev. “There’s less snow, and in 2023–2024 we barely had any avalanches. But the risks are still growing.”
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