Hydrological station “did not record any changes” in river before landslide disaster in west, says Environment Minister
Otar Shamugia said a “sudden surge of water” had only been detected by the station measurements at the moment the landslide hit the resort in Oni municipality of Racha region. Photo: Ministry of Environmenal Protection
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Georgian Environment Minister Otar Shamugia on Monday said the hydrological station installed on the Chanchakhi river in the west of the country had “not recorded any changes” in the water in the 24 hours before the landslide hit the adjacent Shovi resort and killed at least 18 last week.
Shamugia said a “sudden surge of water” had only been detected by the station measurements at the moment the landslide hit the resort in Oni municipality of Racha region.
He also reiterated results of the preliminary report by the National Environmental Agency, released on Monday, that said a collapse of rock formations had collided with a glacier in the locality and, combined with erosion effects, had kick-started the landslide that destroyed cottages in the resort.
He also said professionals involved in the studies had also proposed the idea that a body of water had accumulated under the glacier, contributing to the eventual development.
Glacier melting is a result of climate change, and climate change is a challenge for the whole world today, and we see that the process of glacier melting has been actively taking place in recent years”, Shamugia said.
A “more accurate” report on the disaster will be released “at a later date”, the official also noted.
Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili on Monday summarised the Government's efforts to strengthen hydrometeorological monitoring systems throughout the country at a press briefing held following Monday’s Government meeting.
The landslide in the western Georgian municipality of Oni that killed at least 18 people in the Shovi resort on August 3 was caused by intense melting of glaciers, collapse of rock formations in their headwaters, heavy rains, erosive processes and a glacier runoff, a preliminary report by the National Environmental Agency said on Monday.
Search and rescue works are continuing in the western Georgian municipality of Oni following the landslide killed at least 18 in the Shovi resort five days ago, with the latest casualty discovered on Sunday.
Nino Tandilashvili, the Georgian Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, on Sunday said the data analysis obtained from the water level measuring station located on the Chanchakhi River showed no signs of water accumulation before a landslide in western Georgia’s Shovi resort on Thursday, which killed at least 18 people.
Georgian Infrastructure Minister Irakli Karseladze on Monday said more than 100 pieces of special equipment, including 86 units of heavy hardware, was being mobilised in eight “priority areas” for the search and clearing operations in the disaster-affected zone in the western municipality of Oni, after a landslide killed at least 18 in the Shovi resort on Thursday.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday said the Government was “doing its best” to carry out works to address the aftermath of a landslide that killed 19 in the country’s west last week “in a timely manner”.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday rejected claims of delays in arrival of rescue helicopters at the scene of last week’s landslide in the western resort of Shovi that killed 19 people.
Vasil Gedevanishvili, the Head of Georgia’s National Environmental Agency, on Tuesday said data obtained from 20 measuring stations operating in the Racha-Lechkhumi region in the country’s west “did not provide a basis” for predicting the landslide that hit the Shovi resort and left 19 people dead on August 3.
The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday highlighted the “incredible” dedication of first responders involved in rescue operations in the disaster zone of a landslide that hit western Georgia’s Shovi resort on Thursday and killed at least 19.
Georgian Agriculture Minister Otar Shamugia on Monday said up to 150 new meteorological and hydrological monitoring stations would be set up across Georgia over the next year.