PM Gakharia: 300,000 citizens across country to receive 24hr water supply by end of year

Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia has revealed plans to provide round-the-clock water supply to 300,000 citizens lacking proper water infrastructure across the country, with the governmental effort set to bring the supply to them by the end of the year.

Gakharia made the commitment during his annual report to the parliament on Friday, confirming the pledge to the prospective beneficiaries of the project. Many of the citizens in question live beyond large cities and have had to deal with long-standing water supply issues.

Reporting on completion of work for providing round-the-clock supply to towns including Mestia in highland Svaneti province in the north, Black Sea resort Anaklia and the city of Kaspi in the east, the prime minister also confirmed a completion of a first phase for bringing supply for Kutaisi.

The completion of the first stage has seen 90,000 residents receive constant water delivery in the western city, one of the three largest of the country.

Among the locations that will see consistent supply in the following phases of the governmental effort are the city of Zugdidi in the Samegrelo province in the west, Abastumani and Tskaltubo resort towns and the Gudauri winter resort.

Gakharia said the 2020-planned work would still leave "hundreds of thousands" of residents to be supplied beyond this year, and noted another three to five years of the project were required to "finally solve" the countrywide system of water supply and sewage systems.

The head of the government also told the parliament 70,000 residents of towns and smaller locations had become  beneficiaries of the programme in 2019.