Restoration of floodplain ecosystem in city of Rustavi launches

Restoration of the floodplain ecosystem in the city of Rustavi, located south-east of the Georgian capital Tbilisi, has begun, the Georgian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture said on Tuesday.

The effort is ongoing on a territory covering 160 hectares, with tourist and recreational infrastructure set to be arranged in the area.

Footpaths and bicycle paths, resting areas, guard cottages, and presentation spaces will also be organised, along with camera traps for observing birds and animals.

New infrastructure will provide visitors with a “safe and conducive environment” for physical activities, and provide educational institutions an opportunity to hold seminars on environmental protection, the body added.

The Ministry also said 60,000 saplings would be planted on 24 hectares of land within the project, while water purification barriers from solid waste would be set up on River Mtkvari.

Speaking at the presentation of the project, Otar Shamugia, the Minister of Environmental Protection said the project would be financed through funds DDD designated to address damage caused to the environment.

“Restoration of the floodplain area, on the one hand, will have a positive effect on the air quality of Rustavi, which is a priority for us. At the same time,  residents and visitors of Rustavi will have a very beautiful, orderly, and large-scale recreational space", Shamugia said.

Nino Latsabidze, the Mayor of the city, welcomed the launching of the project, calling it an “unprecedented, huge project residents of Rustavi have been waiting for it for a long time”.”

“This space represents our city's lungs, which was unfortunately destroyed in the 1990s. Today, our generation and team have the opportunity to work together to restore a unique floodplain forest that will heal and improve the city's environmental state”, she added.  

The Floodplain forest, located within the borders of the Rustavi municipality, on both banks of the River Mtkvari between the old and new bridges, is currently unused, with a polluted ecosystem with various types of waste.