On the fourth day of fighting a wildfire in southern Georgia’s Samtskhe–Javakheti region, hundreds of firefighters along with helicopters and fire engines have managed to prevent the fire from spreading. However, it will be long before the fire is fully extinguished, officials say, as the wind occasionally gets stronger. Meanwhile, small wildfires broke out on 22 August at four other locations in the country. [Read more…]
Hundreds fight forest fire in southern Georgia
(The administration of government)
It’s been three days since firefighters and lifeguards have been trying to contain a wildfire in southern Georgia’s Samtskhe–Javakheti region. The fire has devastated more than 12 hectares (120,000 m²) of land, leaving adjacent villages in panic. No casualties were reported. [Read more…]
Illegal logging revealed in Georgia
(Facebook)
Twelve cases of illegal logging were revealed by Georgia’s Environmental Supervision Department on 1 August, 10 in Kakheti and two in Samtskhe-Javakheti. [Read more…]
Activists fighting Georgia’s hydropower boom complain of exclusion and repression
Mestiachala HPP (Tatuli Chubabria/ OC Media)
The Georgian Government is committed to fully exploiting the country’s hydropower potential. Collective mobilisation against mass construction of hydropower plants has began to emerge, but activists say they are met with exclusion and repression. [Read more…]
Gold mining produces golden pollution
A truck carrying ore from the open pit to the processing factory. Kazreti, Georgia (Tsira Gvasalia/Golden Dust)
GeoProMining is an international precious metals mining company. It was founded by Russian businessman Siman Povarenkin, with a local partner in Georgia, Koba Nakopia. The company has damaged environments in Georgia, Armenia, and Russia while mining gold and other precious metals.
Thanks to close contacts in local governments, the gold mining enterprise and its subsidiaries have never been seriously penalised. Local governments either don’t investigate major environmental pollution incidents or they don’t publish the investigation results.
Mass tree felling near Tbilisi for motorway construction
About 4,000 trees will be cut due to the construction of a 400 metre section of motorway linking the Georgian capital Tbilisi with Rustavi to the south. According to the On.ge, up to 2,500 trees have already been cut, and process is still underway. [Read more…]
Daghestanis fight to protect Makhachkala park
Ak-Gel park (Change.org)
A group of activists in the Daghestani capital Makhachkala have began collecting signatures in an attempt to save the city’s Ak-Gel park. [Read more…]
Landslide damages houses in Borjomi
Tori Street in Borjomi (Tinatin Zazadze/Samkhretis Karibche)
A landslide and flood hit parts of Borjomi, a resort in southern Georgia, on 20 May. [Read more…]
EBRD ‘did not assess environmental impacts’ in Dariali HPP project
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s (EBRD) Project Complaint Mechanism (PCM) has upheld a complaint from Georgian environmental groups against the Dariali Hydro Power Plant Project in Kazbegi Municipality, northern Georgia. [Read more…]
Georgian Manganese protests state-appointed ‘special manager’
Manganese mine in Chiatura (Luka Pertaia/OC Media)
Mining company Georgian Manganese has expressed concern at the Ministry of Environment’s decision to appoint a ‘special manager’ to the company. They claim that because of the state-appointed manager’s lack of competence, their operations have been ‘paralysed’. [Read more…]
