Disintegrating clifgside cuts off access to Gudamakari Valley in Georgia's northeast
Vehicle access to villages of the mountainous location has been blocked as a result of the rockfall. Photo via National Environmental Agency.
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A disintegrating cliffside section has blocked access to northeastern Georgia's Gudamakari Valley, with preparations underway for clearing the road and reconnecting villages of the mountainous area to locations to the south.
The disintegration of sections of the roadside cliff formation had been partially caused by increased precipitation on the section on Tuesday, the National Environmental Agency said.
The natural phenomenon affected the Oshpiteli-Gudamakari section of the only road connecting the valley to the town of Pasanauri in the south, with regional news website reginfo reporting 22 villages cut off as a result.
The National Environmental Agency was notified by local authorities of the Dusheti Municipality about the development the same day, with geologists from the organisation arriving at the location earlier on Wednesday.
Conducting "preliminary studies" on the site, the group of experts made observations about a possibility of further disintegration of sections of the cliffside, the agency said. The threat prevented immediate work on restoring the road connection.
The professionals also issuied recommendations for clearing the disintegrated section, and for installing chain barriers limiting the extent of a future rockfall. Works for repairing the road section are to be initiated.
Professionals are working to study options for opening temporary road connection to a locality in western Georgia's Tsageri Municipality where families were cut off by a landslide on Wednesday.
Heavy rain has hit some municipalities in the Georgian regions of Adjara, Imereti and Shida Kartli today and yesterday, causing landslides and damage to roads, bridges and agricultural lands.
Heavy rain has hit 12 villages in Georgia’s western Oni municipality (Racha region). Ten bridges have been washed away by the Rioni River. Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia’s advisor for regional development issues Sozar Subari, Director of the United Water Supply Company Giga Mandaria, and Head of Emergency Management Service Temur Mgebrshvili will study the disaster on the ground.
Heavy rains have hit Lagodekhi, Kvareli and Akhmeta municipalities in Georgia’s eastern Kakheti region. Agricultural land plots and roads were damaged as the water level in the rivers of Duruji, Orvila and Kabali increased.
More than 20 villages have been cut off from the outside world in western Georgian’s Lentekhi municipality due to heavy rainfall. As a result of the continuous rain, the Tskhenistskali river overflowed, which swept away substations and left four villages without electricity. Mayor of Lentekhi municipality Badri Liparteliani told on.ge that traffic on the connecting central section of Kutaisi-Tskaltubo-Lentekhi-Lasdili is paralysed.
A rockfall on the Zugdidi-Jvari-Mestia highway near the village of Barjash has blocked the only road to Zemo Svaneti in west Georgia.