Environment

Two injured in clashes as special forces arrest hydropower protester near Tskaltubo

By | June 1st, 2021|Categories: Environment|Tags: , , |

Locals gather at Sakulia cemetery after the clash. TBILISI, DFWatch--At least two people were injured as protesters clashed with police in a village near Tskaltubo Tuesday evening. The clashes broke out as special forces arrived in the village of Sakulia in order to arrest a 29-year-old man for involvement in protests against the Namakhvani hydropower project. [...]

New study finds dangerous levels of toxins in the Black Sea

By | August 5th, 2019|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

The cancerous substance benzo(a)pyrene, commonly found in soot, is present in the Black Sea in levels exceeding its toxicity threshold. TBILISI, DFWatch--The Black Sea contains toxic concentrations of several pollutants, a new study has found. The dangerous substances include soot, pesticides, insecticides, mercury and flame retardants. In addition, 124 chemicals dangerous for the sea [...]

Landslide triggers flooding, evacuation in Svaneti

By | July 6th, 2018|Categories: Environment|Tags: , , |

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfRVhSBLGGc TBILISI, DFWatch–A landslide triggered a flood wave carrying large amounts of mud and debris down the Nenskra river in Svaneti, western Georgia on Thursday. Dozens of people fled their homes or were evacuated, as at least four bridges […]

Tbilisi on edge as strong rain brings fear of ‘another 2015’

By | June 11th, 2017|Categories: Environment|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch–Strong rain with hail hit Tbilisi and some other parts of Georgia on Saturday, causing damage to cars, infrastructure and crops. As some Tbilisians feared a repeat of the tragic flooding in 2015, the police blocked Vake-Saburtalo Road in Tbilisi following advice […]

Massive snowfall causing problems in western Georgia

By | February 17th, 2017|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch–Massive snowfall is causing problems in western Georgia, especially the two regions Samegrelo and Svaneti, where the snow cover in some places exceeds one meter. An avalanche cut off an important road connecting Zugdidi and Mestia, the administrative centers […]

Locals rescue two youth from the snow after avalanche

By | December 13th, 2016|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

The two youth were caught by an avalanche in the village Bodzauri. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Two young people were pulled out of the snow alive Monday evening after being caught by an avalanche in a mountainous part of Georgia’s Adjara region. Locals helped the two survive the ordeal. They did not have life-threatening injuries but were taken to hospital. […]

Construction work ends on Georgia’s first wind farm

By | September 21st, 2016|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

National Association of Energy and Environment TBILISI, DFWatch–Construction work on Georgia’s first wind farm has been completed near Gori, the Energy Development Fund of Georgia announced. The facility consists of six turbines, each with a power output of 3.45MW. […]

Strong rain and flooding in Batumi

By | September 17th, 2016|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

(Batumelebi.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian Black Sea coast was hit by strong rain on Friday, flooding the streets and inundating ground floors and basements in Batumi, a city of 150,000 people. Emergency workers were still pumping out the flood water from houses […]

Green activists keep up pressure on City Hall for tree-cutting scandal

By | September 3rd, 2016|Categories: Environment|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch–The eco-activists of Guerilla Gardening rallied in front of Tbilisi City Hall again on Friday, demanding the dismissal of the two bureaucrats in charge of tree cutting in the capital. They demand the dismissal of the head and the deputy of City Hall’s […]

Tbilisi mayor’s speech interrupted by protesters against tree-felling

By | August 26th, 2016|Categories: Environment|Tags: , |

Tsotne Gamsakhurdia. (Pirveli.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Tbilisi mayor defended his conduct in the tree-felling scandal at an extraordinary City Council meeting Friday but had to halt his speech because of interruption by protesters. Environmentalists claim Mayor Davit Narmania […]

Anti-tree felling protester in Tbilisi hospitalized after hunger strike

By | August 25th, 2016|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , , |

TBILISI, DFWatch–The Guerilla Gardening group is continuing their protest outside City Hall against the recent tree-cutting in the capital. One of the group’s leaders was hospitalized on Wednesday after being on hunger strike for seven days, but she was replaced by another activist. […]

Borjomi park partly destroyed by flooding after strong rainfall

By | August 5th, 2016|Categories: Environment|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch–A historical park in the southern Georgian resort town Borjomi was partly destroyed by flooding Thursday evening. Strong rain flooded houses and streets and trees more than a hundred years old were torn down. Infrastructure was damaged. […]

Two drown in western Georgia as rain continues ‘almost non-stop’

By | July 8th, 2016|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

(Batumelebi.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A 17-year-old boy has drowned in the river Abashistskali in Martvili, western Georgia. The boy’s body was pulled out of the river Friday morning. Elguja Jamrishvili, head of the Underwater Federation of Georgia, who was searching […]

Road connecting Georgia and Russia still closed due to risk of landslide

By | July 6th, 2016|Categories: Environment|Tags: , |

(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The road through Dariali Valley is still closed because of further landslides after the June 23 incident. According to the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, traffic will be restricted until July 7, as it can not be ruled out […]

Protests resume against the Nenskra hydro power plant in Svaneti

By | July 6th, 2016|Categories: Environment|Tags: , , , |

(DFWatch.) (DFWatch.) (DFWatch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Up to two hundred locals and environmental activists gathered in Chuberi in Upper Svaneti on Sunday as the protests against the planned Nenskra hydro power plant resumed. Activists argue that if built, the dam on the Nenskra river will deprive […]

Early evacuation averted tragedy as new landslide hit Georgia-Russia border

By | June 27th, 2016|Categories: Environment|Tags: , , , |

(All photos: Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia airlifted 60 people to the border crossing at Larsi on Sunday. The travellers had been stuck in Kazbegi since Thursday night, when a mudslide cut off a section of road in Dariali Valley. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) said around 60 people […]

Svan council convenes to stop hydro power plants

By | June 15th, 2016|Categories: Environment|Tags: , |

Photos courtesy of Tamara Bokuchava, Social Photography Caucasus Foundation TBILISI, DFWatch–Resistance against the Nenskra hydro power project in Georgia’s northern Svaneti region has caused locals to restore the traditional ruling body lalkhor in order to increase the community’s impact on the national decision-making process. A congress […]

Crops wiped out by hail in Shida Kartli, anti-hail rockets ineffective

By | May 30th, 2016|Categories: Environment|Tags: , , , |

(Delta.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Crops were destroyed by a hailstorm in several municipalities of Georgia’s Shida Kartli province on May 26. In the hardest hit village Ebnisi the harvest was almost completely devastated. The local municipality is now estimating the cost of the damage. […]

Tbilisi Ugly Walk – Green activist group against disfeaturing city’s urban image

By | May 30th, 2016|Categories: Environment|Tags: , , , |

Irakli Zhvania (center), Iare Pekhit activists and guests (DFWatch) Tbilisi, DFWatch – About thirty people, Tbilisians as well as number of foreigners, gathered on Sunday to take an unusual tour of the capital – Tbilisi Ugly Walk – which was aimed at exposing the city’s recent architectural history with three different political periods – ‘Shevardnadze Era’ (1993-2003), ‘Saakashvili Era’ (2003-2012) and ‘Ivanishvili Era” (2012 to present). […]

Eight activists arrested in Nenskra power plant protests

By | May 26th, 2016|Categories: Environment|

Svan campaigners protest against Nenskra construction (Facebook) Tbilisi, DFWatch – Svan campaigners declare that their protests will continue as long as no alternatives to the current project assuming flooding of their native valley are presented. […]

Environmentalists call Tbilisi mayor ‘enemy of the city’, interrupt speech

By | May 18th, 2016|Categories: Environment|Tags: , , , |

(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Environmental activists interrupted a speech by Tbilisi Mayor Davit Narmania on Tuesday during a session of the City Council, accusing him of being an ‘enemy of the city’. The activists protested the recent selling off of a part of the city’s botanical garden, […]

Svaneti gold rush from Saint Kitts and Nevis

By | May 13th, 2016|Categories: Environment|

On 10 May, inhabitants of Ieli and adjacent Svan villages organised a protest demanding an immediate stop to excavation works and asking the company’s employees to leave the village’s territory. (Photo from student environmental movement Green Fist [„მწვანე მუშტი“] Facebook) Tbilisi, DFWatch – A wave of protests and civil activism erupted in Svaneti against a planned gold mining project, while the people behind it remain hidden in offshore shadows. The tiny village of Eli, more commonly known by its Svan name Ieli, […]

Apartment block planned on cemetery for German prisoners from WWII

By | March 25th, 2016|Categories: Environment|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch–A construction company plans to build residential apartments on what according to locals is a cemetery for German prisoners of war from World War II. According to the environmentalist group Guerrilla Gardening Tbilisi, construction is planned […]

Hotel construction permit in Tbilisi park revoked by court

By | March 3rd, 2016|Categories: Environment|

Vake Park protests in 2014 (DFWatch) TBILISI, DFWatch–On Wednesday, after a two-year-long legal dispute, Tbilisi City Court revoked the construction permit for Budapest Hotel, which is planned to be built in Vake Park in Tbilisi, journal Liberali  reported. Wednesday’s ruling concerned a lawsuit […]

UNM activists join environmentalists in stopping Ivanishvili’s tree-moving

By | February 11th, 2016|Categories: Environment|Tags: , , , |

(Guerilla Gardening.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Five people were detained Wednesday during a rally in Tsikhisdziri on the Black Sea coast near Kobuleti. They were protesting against the removal of three giant old trees which they suspect will be hauled by boat 40km up the coast […]

Traffic problems in midst of massive snowfall in Georgia

By | January 4th, 2016|Categories: Environment|Tags: , |

Batumi’s palm trees are covered in snow. (Faecbook.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Intense snowfall and strong wind is causing trouble for drivers on the E60 highway through Georgia and Batumi’s palm trees are covered in white. The Road Department now calls on everyone to avoid the Zestaponi-Senaki section of the E60 […]

E60 through Georgia cut off by flood for the third time

By | December 21st, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: , |

The water level in River Chkhara was still too high for repair work to begin on Monday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A section of the E60, the main highway east-west through Georgia, has once more been cut off because a river spilled over its banks near Kutaisi. The damaged section is the 206th km of the Tbilisi-Senaki-Leselidze road, the same section which […]

Flood prevention work begins in Tbilisi hills to prevent new disaster

By | November 29th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: , |

(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi City Hall has begun clean-up work on the Tskneti-Betania road close to the capital, which was the origin of a landslide that caused a flood wave in Tbilisi in June, 2015. City Hall said on Saturday that experts have finished examining […]

One man dies in landslide in southwestern Georgia

By | October 12th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: , |

(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–One man died in a landslide in southwestern Georgia on Sunday. The victim, 58 year old Otar Davitadze, was on night watch supervising machinery in an open pit mine when a landslide hit in the village Akhalsheni, Khelvachauri. […]

Strong rain triggered landslides in Adjara, Georgia

By | October 8th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

A flooded street in Kobuleti. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Strong rain overnight Thursday caused flooding and landslides in the Adjara region, in the southwest of Georgia. In Kobuleti, a Black Sea coastal resort, railway traffic was cut off and landslides triggered in the highlands. No casualties have […]

Bad weather caused damage in three parts of Georgia this weekend

By | October 5th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

A flooded street in Rustavi. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia was hit by a spell of bad weather Saturday night, with hailstorm, strong rain and high winds. The hailstorm in Akhaltsikhe, in the south, lasted for almost one hour. In several villages, crops were destroyed and houses damaged. […]

Anti-hail rocket crashes into house in Georgia

By | September 18th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

(Delta.) TBILISI, DFWatch–An anti-hail shell fell on a house in Kakheti Wednesday night, damaging the roof and wall. Delta, a defense company run by the government, installed the anti-hail system in Kakheti earlier this year to protect the harvest. Hail has long […]

Power cut and flooded streets in Batumi

By | August 26th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Heavy rain battered the Black Sea port of Batumi on Tuesday, causing flooding. Several streets including the entrance to the city were blocked by the flood, while rescue workers tried to help with the first floors of buildings that were full of water. […]

Tbilisi flood was preceded by more than 100mm of rainfall

By | July 27th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

(DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A new study shows that there was more than 100 mm of precipitation the night of June 13-14, when a disastrous flood killed at least 19 people in Tbilisi. Three are still missing after the flood, which destroyed many houses and cars […]

Hail hits Kakheti wine heartland

By | July 23rd, 2015|Categories: Environment|

Heavy rain flooded houses in Kakheti (IPN) Tbilisi, DFWatch – Hailstorm once again hit Telavi and Kvareli municipalities, heartland of Georgia’s grape growing and wine producing Kakheti region in Eastern Georgia, badly damaging famous vineyards, as well as watermelon and corn fields. […]

Small landslide in village near Tbilisi, origin of catastrophic flood

By | July 9th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: , , |

(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–There was a small landslide this morning in a village near Tbilisi, the same place where a landslide caused a catastrophic flood wave in a river valley June 13. Thursday’s landslide damaged a road and utility pipe which supplies households […]

Flooded areas of Tbilisi are being disinfected

By | June 21st, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Health Ministry in Georgia has sent teams to disinfect five areas that were hit by a disastrous flood in Tbilisi on June 14 to prevent the spread of disease. Health Minister Davit Sergeenko named the targeted areas as Mziuri Park, Zoo, Svanidze Street, […]

Explanations differ about what caused disastrous flood in Tbilisi

By | June 16th, 2015|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

(Facebook.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The clean-up effort continues after Sunday’s flood, which left at least 17 dead, as attention turns to what might have caused such a disaster. A handful of reasons have been given, which all may be grouped according to political affiliation. Some people blame […]

Landslide victim found after ten days of search

By | June 13th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

(police.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch–After ten days of search, rescue workers discovered the body of a shepherd who was taken by a landslide on June 2 along with hundreds of sheep and cows. Giorgi Shetikauri, 52, was discovered in the morning on June 12 under the ruins of hut in Shatili. […]

Hard rain destroys vineyards in Georgia

By | June 8th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Hard rain continues to batter Georgia and over the weekend partly destroyed vineyards in villages Argokhi, Maghraani and Babaneuri in Akhmeta region, eastern Georgia. Hail stones also damaged the roofs of several houses in the villages Zemo […]

Storm continues to cause damage in Georgia

By | June 6th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

The Gaprinashvili family’s house in Tbilisi was completely destroyed by flood water. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Hailstorm and rain continues to destroy crops, kill poultry and livestock and flood houses in several parts of Georgia. Last evening, a hailstorm hit the Dusheti region and the flooded river carried away poultry and livestock. “It was raining with hail for […]

Anti-hail rockets deployed to save crops in Georgia

By | May 29th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: , , |

(Delta.) TBILISI, DFWatch–An anti-hail system was activated yesterday and for the first time helped partly prevent a hailstorm from destroying harvest in Kakheti. But part of the harvest was destroyed because the system started functioning 20 minutes late. The State Security […]

Court decides that RMG Gold must allow inspection of ancient mine

By | May 14th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A court in Georgia on Wednesday decided that a mining company must allow experts access to a site so they can inspect an ancient gold mine which was destroyed last December. Tbilisi City Court ruled that the parties in the conflict, experts and witnesses […]

Govt coalition sabotaged vote over inquest into destruction of ancient site

By | March 6th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

Sakdrisi after the destruction. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Parliament in Georgia again failed to create a commission to study the destruction of an ancient gold mine in December. Scientists have found more than 5,400 years old human artefacts in the Sakdrisi cave near Bolnisi, but the archaeologically […]

Court rules Sakdrisi should have remained protected heritage site

By | March 4th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

This is what Sakdrisi looked like before RMG Gold began mining there. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian government lost its appeal in the case about lifting the protected status of an ancient gold mine in order to open for commercial exploitation. Tbilisi City Court decided last summer that the ministry was wrong […]

Ombudsman says lifting of ancient gold mine’s heritage status was illegal

By | February 24th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

(DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–In Georgia, the ombudsman claims that a government official broke the law when he greenlighted the destruction of a 5,400 year old cave complex with invaluable archaeological findings. In December, the Russian company RMG Gold […]

Uncertain if Georgian parliament will investigate destruction of ancient mine

By | February 21st, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Parliament in Georgia has still not created a committee to investigate why a pre-historic gold mine was destroyed by a Russian mining company in mid December last year. The Free Democrats on Friday nominated one of their members to chair […]

Work halted on new hotel in Vake Park

By | February 5th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: , , |

Vake Park one year ago. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–City Hall temporarily halted construction work on a new hotel in Vake Park in central Tbilisi on Wednesday. Environmental activists from a group called Guerrilla Gardening gathered in the park warning that the workers are in violation of law […]

Activists say ‘SOS’ for Old Tbilisi as massive development goes ahead

By | February 1st, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: , , , |

(DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Hundreds of people marched through Tbilisi on Saturday to protest against the construction of a number of massive buildings in different locations mostly in the old part of the capital. Protesters gathered outside Tbilisi City Council and walked toward […]

New day of protest against hotel in Vake Park

By | January 29th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

(Guerilla Gardening/Facebook.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Environmental activists in Tbilisi on Wednesday continued their protest against the construction of a hotel inside one of the city’s central parks. City Hall decided to fine the company for minor violations, but protesters want a halt in the construction […]

Traffic restrictions lifted on most roads in Georgia after heavy snowfall

By | January 11th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: , , |

Many roads have been closed until now due to heavy snowfall that began on January 6. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Traffic restrictions have been lifted on most road sections in Georgia after being closed due to heavy snowfall that began on January 6. According to the most recent data from the road department, traffic is now moving freely through the Rikoti […]

Locals in Tbilisi demonstrating against Chinese road construction company

By | January 9th, 2015|Categories: Environment|Tags: , , |

Representatives for the company Sinohydro Corporation Ltd met Kvemo Kartli governor Giorgi Mghebrishvili and Rustavi mayor Davit Jikia in April 2014. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–In a village just south of the Georgian capital Tbilisi, locals are protesting against a Chinese company which they claim is destroying their farm land. Residents in Krtsanisi fear that if the company continues its work, a road leading to the village […]

Four environmental activists detained outside city council in Tbilisi

By | December 30th, 2014|Categories: Environment|Tags: , , |

Four environmental activists were detained for demonstrating outside Tbilisi City Council on Tuesday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Four environmentalists were detained outside the city council building in Tbilisi on Wednesday. The four were demonstrating against the project Panorama Tbilisi, which involves constructing a new cable car and several buildings in the old […]

Georgian parliament halts work in prehistoric mine, orders investigation

By | December 26th, 2014|Categories: Environment|Tags: , |

(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian parliament on Wednesday decided to halt work at a prehistoric mine that was almost destroyed by a mining company, and to put together a commission to investigate the legality of the ongoing work. The cave complex in Sakdrisi has more […]

Tbilisi “invaded” by workers from Russian mining company

By | December 24th, 2014|Categories: Environment|Tags: , |

(Info9.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi was Tuesday “invaded” by workers from a Russian mining company who are angry over the suggestion that they should halt work to protect a 5,400 years old archaeological site. The workers from Sakdrisi in southern Georgia gathered […]

Groups want independent inquest into destruction of ancient gold mine

By | December 19th, 2014|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

(DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Non-governmental organizations in Georgia demand an inquest into how an important archaeological site was almost completely destroyed by a mining company a few days ago. The 5,400 years old gold mine in Sakdrisi […]

Outrage in Tbilisi over destruction of 5,400 year old gold mine

By | December 17th, 2014|Categories: Environment|Tags: , |

(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The news that a prehistoric mine has been damaged by a mining company sparked outrage in Tbilisi Tuesday. People gathered in the evening outside the National Agency on Cultural Heritage Protection to demand the Georgian culture […]

Georgian patriarch deplores destruction of ancient mine

By | December 15th, 2014|Categories: Environment|Tags: , |

Sakdrisi. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The influential Georgian patriarch on Sunday criticized a company which is excavating an ancient mine in the southern part of the country, and called on the government to intervene. Mining company RMG Gold on Saturday resumed work at Sakdrisi, […]

Mining work resumed at prehistoric Sakdrisi site

By | December 13th, 2014|Categories: Environment|Tags: , |

(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Mining work resumed at Sakdrisi on Saturday, a site where scientists and environmentalist groups say is an ancient gold mine with invaluable artifacts from prehistoric man. The controversy about the mine near Bolnisi in the southern part of Georgia has involved […]

Mystery: Why is the water level so low in Mtkvari (Kura)?

By | December 5th, 2014|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

The river Mtkvari (Kura). (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Water levels have fallen drastically the last few days in the biggest river in the South Caucasus, causing massive fish die-off. The Mtkvari originates in Turkey, runs eastward across Georgia and Azerbaijan, emptying into the Caspian Sea. […]

Snow blocks roads in Georgia

By | November 3rd, 2014|Categories: Environment|Tags: |

(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Traffic is currently rerouted from Chakvi-Makhinjauri highway in western Georgia after a landslide on Sunday blocked the road. According to the Regional Development and Infrastructure Ministry, about 20-30 thousand cubic meters of land collapsed […]

Bad weather causes flooding in Georgia

By | October 19th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch–Bad weather continued to cause problems in many parts of Georgia on Sunday. A storm was raging on the Black Sea coast while rivers were flooded, damaging roads and houses in villages. The river Khobistskali spilled over its banks, paralyzing the road […]

Georgian authorities issue warning about new storm in southwest

By | September 29th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

A magnitude four storm battered the Batumi beach Monday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Heavy rain hit Georgia’s southwestern parts on Monday, but so far without causing the amount of damage which was feared after meteorologists issued a dire forecast the day before. Last night, there was strong wind and a constant downpour […]

Western Georgia flooded by heavy rain

By | September 24th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

Unusually high water levels caused damage to roads, bridges and other infrastructure in the southwest of Georgia Wednesday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A storm of strength five hit western Georgia early in the morning on September 24 and caused damage to infrastructure, floods and landslides in the Adjara and Guria regions. In Guria, a river flooded a school in Shemokmedi, students and staff were  evacuated by the […]

Storm causes landslides and power cuts in western Georgia

By | September 22nd, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A storm Sunday night left about 7,000 households without electricity in Batumi, a city on the Black Sea coast. According to local media, a further 1,800 families are without electricity in Khelvachauri municipality. There has been heavy rain in Batumi […]

Groups sound final alarm for threatened landscape in Georgia

By | September 20th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

Locals in Svaneti blocked a road earlier this year in protest against the plans. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Opponents of the Khudoni hydropower project met in Mestia on Thursday to sound the final alarm before a massive dam floods parts of the unique Svaneti region, threatening an age-old cultural landscape. The Svaneti region is a rare landscape […]

Building of gigantic hydro power dam may be postponed

By | September 9th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

There has been strong resistance to Trans-Elektrica’s plans for a hydro power dam in Khudoni. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The building of a controversial hydropower dam in a mountainous region of Georgia may be further postponed, if the company behind it fails to submit the required documents in time. The planned Khudoni hydropower project is located […]

Georgia warns of possible new landslide in Dariali Valley

By | September 5th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

Eight people have so far been killed this year in landslides in Dariali Valley. (Police.ge.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Geologists in Georgia say heavy rainfall would cause another landslide in Dariali Valley, where eight people have already been killed this year in two natural disasters. Six people were killed in a landslide in Dariali Valley May 17, and two more […]

Conflict erupts about illegal tree-cutting in Georgia

By | August 23rd, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

Locals in Khaishi blocked the road Friday in protest against fines imposed on people who cut trees for firewood. (TV3.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Locals demonstrated Friday in a Georgian village because of strict rules about the cutting of trees for fire wood. People in Khaishi, in the northern part of Georgia, blocked the Zugdidi-Mestia highway because of sanctions introduced […]

Danger of more landslides in Dariali

By | August 22nd, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

After two catastrophic landslides in three months, the government has decided to place a weather monitoring station in Dariali. (Photo published by Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure.) TBILISI, DFWatch–There is a danger that more snow may come loose from Devdorak glacier and trigger another landslide in Dariali Valley, Georgia’s Environment Ministry warns. Experts working for the National Agency of Environment have visually surveyed […]

New catastrophic landslide hits Georgia’s Dariali Valley, two missing

By | August 21st, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

Thursday’s landslide in Dariali Valley caused more material damage than the one on May 17, 2014. (Photo published by Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Three months after a landslide disaster in a Georgian valley near the Russian border, another landslide struck Thursday, severing the only road across the Caucasus mountain range and cutting gas supply to Armenia. Two people are missing. […]

Health minister warns about heat wave in Georgia

By | August 18th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

Georgian Health Minister Davit Sergeenko. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian health minister warns people against staying too long out in the sun as temperatures many places in Georgia will surpass 40 degrees Celsius (104 F), according to the national environmental agency. Health Minister Davit Sergeenko […]

A hundred houses flooded in Georgian village Kvishkheti

By | August 13th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

Mudwater soiled a hundred houses in Kvishkheti, near Khashuri. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A hundred houses were flooded in a small Georgian village Tuesday night. Due to heavy and long rain, villages were flooded in an area near Khashuri in the central parts of Georgia. The flood hit hardest in Kvishkheti, which […]

Three died when river flooded village in Georgia

By | July 29th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

Three lives were lost as the Vani-Sulori river swelled and flooded adjacent areas. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Three people died when the town Vani in western Georgia was flooded on Sunday. Heavy rain made the river swell and swoop up several cars and carry them away. A total of five people were in the cars. Three were found Sunday night, one of whom […]

Green concert against maximum resource extraction

By | July 21st, 2014|Categories: Environment, News, Youth|Tags: , , |

The concert was held at Mziuri Park. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–What connects the Khudoni hydro power project, a prehistoric gold mine, shrinking green areas in Tbilisi and human rights abuses in the mining industry? They are all problems caused by the government’s economic policy, according to the youth group […]

Rebellion against oil company in Georgian village

By | June 25th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , , , |

People blocked the road for employees of Canargo Georgia which is exploring for oil in Sagarejo. They don’t want to lose their water supply. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Locals have rebelled against an oil company that wants to search for oil in an eastern Georgian town. People fear that they may lose their water supply. On Wednesday, they blocked the road for employees of Canargo Georgia and didn’t let […]

Another landslide blocks main east-west road in Georgia

By | June 18th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

Clean-up work is ongoing in Rikoti pass after a second landslide blocked the road again. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Another landslide Tuesday blocked the main road that connects western and eastern Georgia. The first landslide damaged the road through Rikoti Pass on June 12, but the pass was cleaned and reopened after a few days. Tuesday morning […]

Court faults Georgia’s lifting of mine’s protected status

By | June 13th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

Sakdrisi gold mine. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi City Court on Friday canceled a decision by the Culture Ministry to remove the protected area status of Sakdrisi, an ancient gold mine which archaeologists say has more than 5,400 years old traces of humans. The court’s decision means […]

Dariali Valley evacuated after landslide alert

By | June 7th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , , |

Clean-up work was resumed in Dariali Valley Saturday after a brief evacuation. (TV1.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Clean-up work in Dariali Valley in northern Georgia was resumed on Saturday, a day after  workers were evacuated due to a risk of a new landslide. Seismologists registered microquakes in Devdoraki glacier, which the government’s experts said was the direct […]

Calls to restore heritage status for Sakdrisi mine

By | June 6th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

Demonstrators want the area’s heritage status to be restored. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A rally was held Thursday to demand the restoration of protected area status for the old Sakdrisi mine in southern Georgia. The rally took place outside the National Cultural Heritage Protection Agency in Tbilisi and was organized by environmental […]

Heavy rains hit Georgia, a man drowned near Borjomi

By | June 4th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|

(TV9) Tbilisi, DFWatch – A 25-year-old man has drowned in a river Sakirula, near resort town Borjomi, in southern Georgia on Tuesday after heavy rains caused floods across the area. Murman Lomsadze has virtually been washed away from his own yard and drowned […]

Court temporarily bans mining in Sakdrisi

By | June 4th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

Sakdrisi mining site. (Photo taken by Green Fist.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Tbilisi City Court has suspended a decree by the Ministry of Culture that gave a green light to begin mining at the site of an alleged ancient gold mine in south east Georgia. RMG Gold, a gold mining company that was prohibited from carrying on work in Sakdrisi, […]

Temporary road to be opened in Dariali

By | June 3rd, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

Clean-up work is progressing 24 hours a day, and a new temporary road will be opened in a few days. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–For over two weeks, the only road through the Caucasus mountain range has been closed due to a massive landslide May 17. Now, Georgian authorities say a new temporary road will be opened in few days, after intense work to dig a new path […]

Search for bodies continuing after May 17 landslide

By | May 30th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

The mud from the May 17 landslide in Dariali clogged the river Tergi and may have killed up to seven people. TBILISI, DFWatch–Nearly two weeks after a catastrophic landslide hit Dariali Valley in the Caucasus mountains, the search is continuing for four people who are still missing. Three have been found dead. The Road Department in Georgia is working in two shifts to clean […]

Third victim found after big landslide in Georgia

By | May 24th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

The third victim of the Dariali landslide was also found inside a hydro power tunnel. (police.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch–A dead body was found Friday night during the ongoing search and rescue operation following the landslide in Dariali Valley on May 17. This third casualty of the disaster was also found inside a tunnel that is part of a hydro power development […]

One more found dead after Dariali landslide

By | May 23rd, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

A second person has been found dead after the catastrophic landslide in Georgia on May 17. (police.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch–One of the victims in the May 17 Dariali landslide has been found dead inside a tunnel that was dug out in connection with an ongoing hydro power development in the valley. The body most likely belongs to a truck driver, according to rescue workers, […]

Landslide update: search continues as hope fades away

By | May 22nd, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , , , |

Some of the people rescued were workers at the Dariali hydro power plant. (Photo published on Facebook.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The rescue operation in Dariali Valley is continuing, though officials at the Emergency Management Department say there is now almost no hope of finding anyone alive. Seven people, Turkish and Ukrainian nationals and one Georgian, are still missing. […]

Six still missing after massive landslide in Georgia

By | May 21st, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

Aerial shot from the day of the accident, published on Facebook. TBILISI, DFWatch–Six people are still missing after the landslide in Dariali Valley on May 17, among them Georgians, Ukrainians and Turkish citizens, according to the Georgian interior minister. 12 Turkish citizens were rescued out of a tunnel, while two drivers […]

One dead, seven missing after landslide

By | May 19th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

The government says three trucks were caught under the rock masses. (Photo published on Facebook.) TBILISI,DFWatch–Seven people are reported missing and one dead, according to the latest information from Dariali Valley, where a massive landslide struck Saturday morning. The government’s security and crisis management council on Sunday published a statement […]

Environmental group warned about landslide risk

By | May 17th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

An environmental group in Georgia says the hydro power project Larsi may have caused the massive landslide which struck Saturday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–An environmental group in Georgia warned two years ago that constructing a hydro power station in Dariali Valley would increase the risk of landslides. Five people are missing and a hundred and fifty have been rescued out of the disaster area […]

Five missing after massive landslide in Georgia

By | May 17th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

The massive landslide may have killed three Turkish construction workers working on the Dariali hydro power project. (Photo posted to Facebook by Iago Kazalikashvili.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A landslide in Dariali Valley in northern Georgia has severed the only road across the Caucasus Mountain Range. Five people are still missing. Locals say three Turkish construction workers died who were working on the Dariali hydro power station. […]

Journalist breaks into endangered archaeological site

By | May 4th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

Sakdrisi. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Saturday, there was a scuffle between a journalist and guards working for RMG Gold, a Russian mining company digging in a prehistoric cave complex in the south of Georgia. RMG Gold issued a statement saying that their guards were confronted by a […]

Wolf pack attacked livestock near Tbilisi

By | April 29th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

It’s the fifth time wolves attack livestock in the area west of Tbilisi. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A pack of wolves has attacked livestock in a village near Tbilisi, Interpressnews reports. The wolf attack took place in the village Kodistskaro, near the town Kaspi, and only 60 km from the center of the Georgian capital. The news agency reports […]

Protesters weary of RMG’s intentions at prehistoric mine

By | April 28th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

RMG Gold says it intends to dig in the area as long as it has a right to do so. (Photo taken by Green Fist.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Students, youth and environmental activists are still camped near a prehistoric gold mine in south Georgia, weary that a mining company might begin digging at the still sparsely surveyed archaological site. About a week ago, […]

Georgia halts RMG’s mining at prehistoric site

By | April 23rd, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , , |

Scientists say the Sakdrisi site is 5,400 years old. (Culture Ministry.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s culture minister promises to halt excavation work at an ancient a gold mine in the south of the country after protesters camped near the site raised the alarm that it was being damaged by RMG Gold. Culture Minister Guram Odisharia […]

Protest intensifies as RMG starts digging at ancient mine

By | April 21st, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

Protesters outside the studios of Georgian Public Broadcaster waiting for the culture minister to arrive to take part in a talk show. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Protesters who are camped near an ancient gold mine in southern Georgia say the mining company RMG Gold started excavation work on a section of the mine on Tuesday afternoon, but the Ministry of Internal Affairs denied this. The tent camp at Sakdrisi […]

UN helping Georgia improve disaster preparedness

By | March 21st, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , , |

The coastal city Batumi was damaged by a storm in March, 2013. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The United Nations will help Georgia strengthen its preparedness against natural disasters. “Georgia is often challenged by the risk of natural disasters, which seriously jeopardizes the country’s economy, as well as our citizens,” Environment […]

Dead fish found on shores of recreational lake near Tbilisi

By | March 18th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

Dead fish on the shores of Kumisi Lake. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A large number of dead fish has been discovered on the shores of Kumisi Lake. Specialists at the National Food Agency claim the fish died due to a lack of water and oxygen. Kumisi Lake is a popular place for anglers and lies about 20 km south […]

Police beat villagers for Norwegian hydro power in Georgia

By | March 9th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

Seven hundred villagers clashed with two hundred police in Ghurta. (Video still from Adjara TV’s report.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Police in Georgia Saturday broke up a protest in a village where a Norwegian company wants to build a hydro power plant. About two hundred policemen were mobilized to break through a road block put up by villagers in Ghurta, in the south western Adjara […]

Energy minister attacks ombudsman over hydro power dam

By | February 8th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , , |

Energy Minister Kakhi Kaladze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian Energy Minister Friday lashed out against the public defender and accused him of lying about not wanting to meet the population in a mountain valley poised to be flooded by a giantic hydro power dam. The Khudoni hydro power project will […]

Georgia halts surveying work for mega-dam

By | February 5th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

Georgia’s Energy Minister Kakhi Kaladze. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Energy Ministry in Georgia says the government is taking into account the requests of villagers in Khaishi and has halted surveying work in their village. The construction of the massive Khudoni hydropower station in northern Georgia […]

Some roads closed, deep freeze expected in Georgia

By | January 31st, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Traffic is prohibited on the Gudauri-Kobi section of the road from Mtskheta to larsi via Stepantsminda due to the avalanche danger. The Environment Ministry warned about possible avalanches in this section of road. According to the Road Department, […]

Villagers block road to stop hydro power dam

By | January 29th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , , |

People from Khaishi on Wednesday blocked a road to prevent surveying work for the gigantic Khudoni hydro power dam. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–People from the Svaneti mountain village Khaishi Wednesday demonstrated against the construction of a gigantic hydro power dam that will wipe out their community. Demonstrators blocked the road to Jvari-Mestia with stones to interrupt land surveying […]

1000 people demonstrated to save Vake Park in Tbilisi

By | January 20th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , , |

Around a thousand people gathered in Tbilisi’s Vake Park Sunday to show their resistance to a planned new hotel. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Around a thousand people showed up in Vake Park in Tbilisi Sunday to protest against the construction of a new hotel. The event, which was planned on Facebook, brought together people, families, some with dogs or carrying balloons, enjoying snacks […]

Rally against planned new hotel in Vake Park, Tbilisi

By | January 11th, 2014|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

Environmentalists say it’s against the law to build a new hotel in a recreational zone, like Vake Park. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–People Friday demonstrated in front of Tbilisi City Hall against a private company’s plans to build a new hotel inside the publicly owned Vake Park in the capital. Behind the project is Tiflis Development Company, and the hotel is planned at the location […]

Power cuts continue in Georgia ten days after snowfall

By | December 17th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

People demonstrated in Batumi last Friday against a lack of attention from authorities. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Ten days after snow fell in the eastern Adjara region of Georgia, frustration is growing as there are still problems with supply of electricity, natural gas and water. December 13, people demonstrated in Batumi against what they feel is a lack of […]

Georgia creates crisis management centers

By | December 16th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

Snow storms in winter and flooding in summer have knocked out infrastructure in Georgia. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The government in Georgia on Sunday created two new bodies to address urgent problems. The first one is a temporary center for crisis management to deal with the problems caused by bad weather and earthquakes. The second state body is a center to […]

86 schools closed in Georgia due to snow

By | December 13th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

Snow is creating problems many places in Georgia. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–86 schools in Georgia are closed due to bad weather, according to the Education Ministry. 69 of them is in the Adjara region – Keda, Shuakhevi and Khelvachauri. Four schools are closed in Guria, six in Imereti, four in Svaneti, one school in Kakheti, one in […]

Skating arena collapses in Georgia

By | December 13th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , , |

Lika Nakaidze. (Video still from Imedi TV.) TBILISI, DFWatch–An ice skating arena in Batumi, Georgia, collapsed Thursday due to heavy snowfall. The last five days there has been an electricity problem in Batumi, in the Adjara region, as transmission lines and poles were damaged due to the amount of snow in recent […]

150 000 households still without electricity in Georgia

By | December 12th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

The snow masses have knocked out power supply in south western Georgia. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Batumi, one of the largest cities in Georgia, has been without electricity and heating four days due to a snow storm. There is still more than one and half meter snow cover in Batumi and the rest of the mountainous Adjara region. Some streets […]

Two die as greenhouse collapses near Batumi

By | December 10th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

Two people died as a greenhouse collapsed in Georgia. (First Channel.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Two persons have died after a roof of a greenhouse collapsed in Georgia because of bad weather. The accident happened Monday evening in the village Salibauri in the Adjara region and was caused by strong wind and heavy snowfall. Two women, aged 35 […]

Snow storm causes electricity blackout in Georgia

By | December 9th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

The snow storm has caused a power blackout affecting 155 000 households. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–155 000 households are left without electricity in Georgia, according to the Energy Ministry. Deputy Energy Minister Irakli Khmaladze said at a briefing that the bad weather has created problems mainly in the regions in the west of Georgia, and that the damage is caused by snow and blizzard. […]

NGOs call for new impact assessment of gigantic power dam

By | December 9th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

A gigantic planned hydro power station has brought environmentalists out in the streets in Georgia. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Georgia ask the government for answers about the construction of Khudoni hydro power station. There are many questions regarding environmental and social issues. Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and an […]

Futuristic service center damaged by storm in Tbilisi

By | December 4th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

Bits of the roof flew off the new public service center in downtown Tbilisi. (IPN) TBILISI, DFWatch–The House of Justice in Tbilisi was Tuesday evacuated as a result of high winds which damaged the roof of the building. No-one was injured, but the building remained evacuated throughout the day. The roof was damaged at the entrance of the building, […]

Bad weather in Georgia, power cuts, road closure

By | December 3rd, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

The main road connecting eastern and western Georgia is closed due to bad weather. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–More than 70 000 households in Georgia are left without electricity due to strong wind and snow according to the utility company Energo-Pro Georgia. Electricity was switched off as the lines are damaged and technical crews are now working to rectify […]

Pshav-Khevsureti mountains to become protected area

By | November 23rd, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

A view of the Khevsureti mountains. (Photo by mtskheta-mtianeti.gov.ge.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The mountainous Pshav-Khevsureti region in the northeast of Georgia is to be made a protected area. This is a historical region and remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. The environment committee in parliament has proposed […]

Two protests during Georgian inauguration

By | November 18th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

Activists demand a stop in large hydro power dams that threaten villages and the environment. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Two separate demonstrations went on on the street outside during the inauguration of Giorgi Margvelashvili in the yard of the old parliament building in Tbilisi on Sunday. Labor party leader Shalva Natelashvili rallied supporters and said that the […]

Storm on Georgia’s Black Sea coast causes damage

By | October 21st, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

Batumi. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A storm on the Black Sea coast damaged the boulevard in the Georgian resort city Batumi Sunday and caused 400 meters of a running path to collapse. According to Batumi Mayor Jemal Ananindze, it could cost several million lari to repair the damaged […]

At least 60 houses flooded in Georgia

By | September 23rd, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWath–Heavy rain on Saturday flooded more than 60 houses in Kakheti, a region in eastern Georgia . Rivers burst their banks and water flowed into the first floors and basements in the village Kistauri, in the Akhmeta region. Water destroyed home equipment […]

Gigantic hydro power dam given a green light in Georgia

By | September 20th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

The Khudoni dam will lead to forced resettlement of 800 people and destruction to the environment and historic sites. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A public discussion on Thursday about the construction of a new hydro electric power station in Svaneti led to a physical scuffle between supporters and opponents. The reason for disagreement was Khudoni power station, a mega project that was […]

Storm leaves thick sediment, danger of landslides

By | September 6th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

A fallen tree on the waterfront in Batumi. (DFWatch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Despite heavy rains and wind in the west of Georgia the last two days, no serious damage was done to villages and towns. But there is still a danger of landslides. Strong wind and rain caused problems in several regions of Georgia for the last two […]

Georgia on high alert as flooding expected Thursday evening

By | September 4th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

Batumi. (DFWatch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A storm system is expected to hit western Georgia for the next two days, starting late on Wednesday. The weather forecast predicts a storm that will spread from the Baltic Sea to the shores of the Black Sea with cold and humid air masses, and […]

Landslides in Georgia’s Guria region forced families to flee

By | August 19th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

Landslides have been accelerated by the heavy rain, says Valerian Chitashvili, governor of Guria. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Several families have been forced from their homes in Ozurgeti, in Georgia’s western Guria region, due to a landslide. Valerian Chitashvili, governor of Guria, told journalists that two days of heavy rains in the region accelerated the landslides […]

22 families cut off by flooding in Georgia’s Guria region

By | August 19th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

The flood struck the village Ureki in the middle of the tourist season. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–22 families are cut off from the outside world due to flood in the village Chanchati, in Georgia’s western Guria region. Gulnara Chichua, government trustee in the village, told journalists that the flood also has affected other villages in Guria, […]

Georgian beach resort on the Black Sea hit by flood

By | August 18th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

The flood water was one meter high and rising, locals said Sunday. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian Black Sea resort Ureki was flooded after heavy rain on Sunday. Part of the population is leaving the place and requesting help from the government. Tens of houses were flooded, and a landslide has blocked the roads. Kote Sharashenidze, […]

Heavy rain floods 500 houses in Khoni

By | August 10th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

People in Khoni were up since 4 am Friday removing water from their homes. (tv9.ge.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Rain water poured into the village Khoni in western Georgia Friday, flooding the basements and first floors of 500 houses and killing poultry. Locals tell journalists they haven’t slept all night but have been out cleaning their houses and saving […]

Limestone formation partly destroyed along Kazbegi road

By | August 7th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

A construction company needed an access road and cut through the limestone. Environmentalists say it will take centuries for the rock to reform. (DFWatch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A large part of a massive limestone formation in Georgia has been destroyed during repair work on a tunnel. The rock formation is located at a section of road between Gudauri and Kobi, leading up into the Kazbegi mountains in the north of Georgia, […]

River bursts its banks in Ozurgeti, carries away two people in car

By | August 5th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

(Rustavi 2.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A river burst its banks in Georgia’s western Guria region Monday and flooded about fifteen houses in the town Ozurgeti. According to local media, the water carried a car with two people inside into the river Shuti. One of them was a pregnant woman. […]

Protesters demand halt in construction work at Turtle Lake

By | August 5th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

Demonstrators want to preserve the area as a recreational zone. (DFWatch photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A rally was held on Sunday to protest the planned construction of a new restaurant at Turtle Lake in Tbilisi. Demonstrators say it will destroy a recreation zone. The demonstrations started in late July, when there was first put up a sign […]

People in Senaki are trying to cope with the flood

By | July 31st, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

First floors and basements of houses in Senaki were flooded after heavy rain on Monday (DF Watch photo) TBILISI, DFWatch–In almost every house in Senaki’s main streets, people are using spades to get rid of mud and water after heavy flooding on Monday. Senaki is a small town in Samegrelo, in the western part of Georgia, with more than 25 000 residents. Elderly people […]

Senaki partly evacuated due to flooding

By | July 30th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

A civilian being rescued in the streets of Senaki, a town in western Georgia. (TV9.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Part of Senaki in western Georgia has been evacuated because of flooding. Local reporters say more than 70 families have left the town. Hundreds of houses are underwater. The markets, theatre and other facilities are also hit, and car traffic has been rendered impossible. […]

Heavy rain and flooding in several regions of Georgia

By | July 21st, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch–Heavy rain caused flooding in several regions of Georgia Saturday. In Zugdidi, a region bordering the breakaway region Abkhazia, more than 20 villages are flooded, according to local reporters. Didinedzi is hardest hit, and has a water cover of more […]

Protest against tree-cutting in Tbilisi

By | July 9th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

Campaigners say they have gathered more than five thousand signatures against the clearing of trees to build a complex of apartment blocks. They demand that the area be made a recreational zone. (Palitra TV.) TBILISI, DFWatch–More than 40 healthy trees were cut at the former psychiatric clinic in Tbilisi on Monday. Youth and locals rallied outside, demanding a stop to the tree-cutting. Rally participants brought posters which read ‘Don’t cut’ and ‘Tbilisi City Hall is an enemy […]

Storm again damages Kobuleti beach

By | July 3rd, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

Three people were taken to sea by the waves, and later rescued. (TV9.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Heavy rain has hit the town Kobuleti on the Black Sea coast for the last two days. Three people were taken to sea by a big wave, and later rescued. The storm on Wednesday lasted just three minutes. Big waves took three youngsters from the beach. […]

Hailstorm destroys crops in eight villages in eastern Georgia

By | June 22nd, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: , |

TBILISI, DFWatch–A hailstorm Friday night damaged eight villages in Akhmeta in the eastern Kakheti region of Georgia. The damaged villages are Ashkhnis Velebi, Akhshani, Arashenda, Chabinaani, Khorkheli, Zemo Khodasheni, Ozhio and Atskhuri, according to […]

Another hailstorm hits eastern Georgia

By | May 15th, 2013|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

The storm destroyed crops and fruit in five villages. TBILISI, DFWatch–A strong hailstorm hit Georgia’s eastern Kakheti region Monday, almost completely destroying fruits and crops in five villages. Giorgi Sibashvili, former Deputy Governor of Kakheti, told Interpressnews that hail has destroyed agricultural lands […]

EU commits aid to storm victims in Georgia

By | August 6th, 2012|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – The European Union is to help families affected by the July 19 storm in Georgia which levelled more than 40 villages. More than 20 000 families were affected by the storm, which hit the south east part of Georgia. People lost their houses, […]

Turkish company cancels hydro electric project in Georgia

By | February 14th, 2012|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch – Work to construct one of the biggest hydro electric power stations in Georgia has been halted, after its Turkish investor pulled out. The Georgian government explains that the Turkish investor refused to go through with the project, and therefore a new […]

Two thousand villagers waiting to know when to move

By | January 28th, 2012|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch - Villagers in Upper Svaneti are waiting for a report which is supposed to guarantee their forced resettlement follows a democratic process. But the country's energy minister said in December that no matter what the results are of the environmental and social impact assessment, the Khudoni hydropower project will be built. Khudoni, [...]

Georgia allows hunting of endangered species

By | January 27th, 2012|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch - Georgia allows hunting of rare animal species, which could lead to their extinction, environmentalists claim. The legislative changes will also allow hunting in protected areas. Hunting and protection of species is regulated by a kind of laws used under the Soviet Union called normative acts and decrees. The law doesn’t directly [...]

Turkey plans to divert water from Tbilisi river

By | December 26th, 2011|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch - The river which runs through Tbilisi might have its waters levels lowered, because a Turkish power company wants to tap its energy higher up. The Mtkvari, Georgia’s largest river, may be substantially weakened. This could cause problems not only for Georgians, but also in neighboring Azerbaijan, where it feeds the main drinking water [...]

Interior minister to handle hydro power resettlement

By | November 7th, 2011|Categories: Environment, News|Tags: |

TBILISI, DFWatch - The 1970s mega project to build a dam in Khudoni Valley is moving ahead despite obscure funding and secretive implementation. Last week villagers were told they will have to leave. Their resettlement will be planned by an organization founded by Georgia's Interior Minister, Vano Merabishvili (pictured). Khudoni would have been the second largest [...]