New report: what is the main cause of air pollution in Tbilisi?

Vehicle exhaust is the main cause of air pollution in Georgia’s capital city of Tbilisi, says the report of the parliamentary committee on environmental protection and natural resources.

The report is based on a report by the State Audit Office of Georgia, which states that there are two main sources of air pollution: emissions from stationary sources – emission of harmful substances from industrial and construction sites and emissions from moving sources – vehicles.

• Click here to read more about what Georgia breathes. 

The report says that 37 per cent of the vehicles are located in Tbilisi, while 90 per cent of Georgia’s auto fleet is more than 10 years old.

The authors of the report demand from the government to make the vehicle inspection stricter in Georgia and also tighten the procedures of customs clearance of older vehicles.

The government of Georgia has developed a 40-point plan together with Tbilisi City Hall to prevent air pollution. The plan includes a complete renewal of the public bus fleet, promoting electric cars, installing air monitoring stations in different parts of Tbilisi.

The government also launched ‘Green Policy – Eco-friendly Transport’ project for Tbilisi, which includes the development of an environmentally friendly and comfortable transport fleet.

Also, from January 2018, vehicle inspections have been mandatory in Georgia, testing the road worthiness of vehicles before they are allowed to continue driving on roads.