TBILISI, September 15 – Whole communities in central Georgia’s Kharagauli municipality have been thrown into chaos after huge cracks ripped through the villages of Khemaghali and Ghverki, leaving homes empty, roads torn apart, and families scattered.
The damage, which residents say began with small fissures in late May, has now expanded into a sprawling three-kilometer rupture cutting through the mountainside, BPN reports. Social media photos posted by Maradi Gelashvili, who grew up in Ghverki but now lives in Tbilisi, shocked the country with images of deserted homes and collapsing roads.
Gelashvili told local media he first noticed cracks on May 26, but within a week they had spread across village roads. By mid-June, geologists were sent in to examine the area. Residents say experts privately confirmed the landslide might be linked to blasting work from a railway construction project carried out between 2019 and 2022. Official reports, however, have not been made public.
Authorities recommended evacuating families from houses in the “red zone” and called for drainage and reinforcement works, but locals say action has been slow. Around 107 households lived in the two villages before the disaster. Most have now been told to leave their homes and rent apartments elsewhere. The government promised to cover rent costs of up to 500 lari (USD 180) per month, but many villagers claim they were left off official registries and received no assistance.
Some residents have been unable to move due to illness or lack of funds. Others have protested that compensation payments are inconsistent and far below market rents.
In Ghverki, only a handful of families remain. In Khemaghali, most homes stand abandoned, with cracks still visible on the walls. Locals fear the mass of shifting earth is slowly sliding toward the river below.
Despite government pledges to commission a full geological study, residents argue that only partial surveys have been carried out.
