Economy and Sustainable Development Minister and Vice Prime Minister Levan Davitashvili discussed the unpredictable nature of the Shovi disaster. He underscored that, consistent with its commitment of 2018, the Government has fulfilled its pledge by consistently conducting studies on geological hazards, noting that these findings are subsequently disclosed in an annual monitoring report to be integrated into project planning. He discussed the Shovi landslide tragedy with the media on August 7, following a Government cabinet meeting.
Addressing statements he made in the aftermath of the 2018 climate disaster in Mestia, on plans to establish an effective early warning system across Georgia within 2-3 years, Davitashvili said his words were being interpreted and taken out of context.
He dismissed the criticism for not having the effective early warning system announced in 2018 saying: “This too has become the subject of speculation. Again, people have decided to score political points or interpret the issue in a different way, which is unfortunate. I think it is inappropriate for today’s situation.”
Davitashvili highlighted the collaborative initiative undertaken with the Green Climate Fund since 2018, aimed at studying and mitigating geological hazards in Georgia. Davitashvili said: “Again, I want to emphasize that a tragedy like the one in Shovi would be inevitable under any circumstances. Unfortunately, no matter what systems we have or will have, tragedies can happen and no one in the world is safe from them. We may not be able to protect ourselves from such tragedies.”
He alluded that the previous (UNM) government was at fault for the absence of the monitoring system saying: “I want to tell you that we used to have dozens of monitoring stations in the country and we found none [when in power]. The whole system was broken and no one was responsible.”
Davitashvili then spoke about the “substantial progress” made in bolstering the nation’s hydro-meteorological systems, saying: “We have installed, purchased and started to install 200 modern hydro-meteorological stations, which already allow us to monitor the rise in water levels.” The Minister announced the acquisition of three modern radars, including two recently procured units, covering Georgia’s entire territory for enhanced meteorological insights.
Davitashvili concluded by stressing the limitations in averting or mitigating natural disasters, echoing challenges faced globally: “Today the country does not have a problem with resources, but as far as natural disasters are concerned, one thing should be emphasized, in many cases, unfortunately, we are powerless and it is impossible to prevent or avoid something. Such things happen not only in Georgia, but in every developed country, and it is very sad that sometimes people, systems, state institutions or countries as a whole are powerless to prevent and avoid natural disasters.”
Also Read:
- 07/08/2023 – Landslide in Racha: Live Blog
- 05/08/2023 – National Environmental Agency Says Shovi Tragedy “Caused by Convergence of Many Factors”
- 04/08/2023 – Annual Geological Bulletin Warned of the “High Risk”of Shovi Mudslides in 2021
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