TBILISI, September 22 – Unusual images of the Black Sea shoreline near Batumi have caught public attention after days of torrential rain left the water discolored and full of debris.
Nino Chkhobadze, head of the Georgian Greens/Friends of the Earth, said the strange appearance was most likely caused by swollen rivers washing massive amounts of clay, sand, and even trees into the sea. “The rivers were very swollen in Batumi and, as far as I understand, sand and clay were carried into the sea. That is why the water looks this color,” she told PalitraVideo.
According to Chkhobadze, locals say they have never seen the sea take on such a hue. She noted that the Machakhela River rose so high that it nearly reached the level of the historic Tamar Bridge.
“This kind of flooding happens once in a millennium,” she added, pointing to visible sediment and driftwood that rivers had swept into the Black Sea.
