Another disaster in Dusheti
By Tea Mariamidze
Wednesday, July 2
Four days of non-stop rain gravely affected the Dusheti region. July 1 was especially damaging for the region. The situation is particularly difficult in the villages of Bulachauri, Lapanaantkari and Choporti. In these three and several other villages of the Dusheti region a mudslide was caused by the high precipitation during the past few days.
The mudslide damaged the road connecting Dusheti with the Pshavi region. The road department crews are working non-stop to repair the damage.
The heavy rain caused the Gudrukhi River to rise. The water flooded the ground floors of the riverside houses, orchards and gardens.
The situation was undesirable in the Kakheti region as well. After a three-hour rescue effort, an emergency situations service team saved Jondo Pareulidze from the Alazani River.
According to Pareulidze, he was collecting firewood when the river overflowed.
Due to the overflow, four villages have been isolated in the region.
“Our houses and agricultural lands are flooded. We will have no harvest,” one of the locals Gocha Gulashvili states.
Dusheti Municipality Governor Vazha Chokheli states that the damage is serious.
“The situation is bad, the roads are blocked, and it was difficult to move even on foot. Now, the majority of roads have been cleared so that cars can move on them. I cannot say exactly the amount of loss. A special commission will calculate it,” Chokheli suggests.
Minister of Infrastructure Elguja Khokrishvili states that after counting the loss by the commissions created at the local municipalities, the ministry will offer recommendations concerning compensation for the affected people. The minister could not specify yet how safe it is living in such an area.
“Our experts are studying the situation and very soon we will know about the threats. We will also get recommendations over preventive steps the government should take in order to avoid a disaster in the future,” Khokrishvili said.
Landslide cases have become frequent recently in the country; Rikoti tunnel is quite often closed due to the threat. On June 11, eight individuals were injured in the Dusheti region owing to the landslide as well.
