Otar Shamugia, the nominee for the Minister of Environment and Agriculture, announced that the ministry will disclose comprehensive information regarding the extensive natural calamity that occurred on August 3, 2023, at Shovi Resort, killing 33 people. Shamugia underscored that the report was formulated with the collaboration of seasoned foreign specialists.
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“The significant catastrophe that unfolded in Shovi, unfortunately exemplifying climate change, exposed us to a profound tragedy. It has been and remains crucial for us to prepare a scientifically substantiated, impartial conclusion concerning the calamity. Therefore, as you are aware, in the initial days, the National Environment Agency provided preliminary findings. Subsequently, we commenced work, engaging foreign experts with extensive experience in assessing analogous occurrences. To offer recommendations, an expedition of specialists was dispatched to the Buba glacier. They meticulously examined the current situation. In the coming days, we will convene a working session with local experts, with whom we have maintained continuous communication regarding these events, holding numerous discussions. We will present them with the compiled materials, and attentively consider their viewpoints. Next week, we will unveil the conclusion to the public, inclusive of recommendations for the proposed measures,” stated Otar Shamugia during the joint assembly of the sectoral committees in the Parliament.
The ministerial nominee highlighted that by year-end, 245 observational hydrometeorological stations will be operational across the country, enhancing the early warning system. Early alert systems will be established in communities particularly susceptible to flooding.
“An additional 13 million GEL was allocated for the National Environment Agency in 2024 to further expand and strengthen the modern monitoring network.
In collaboration with the Finnish Meteorological Service, a pioneering force in this domain, an information system will be introduced to refine weather forecasts and enhance the early warning mechanism.
To enhance the monitoring of geological processes, modern monitoring systems will be installed at 11 additional landslide sites, with this figure slated to rise to 29 by year-end. Leveraging the expertise of highly qualified foreign specialists and employing modern methodologies, extant hazards will be evaluated across all glacial valleys, with recommendations and remedies accordingly devised,” Shamugia remarked.
The conclusive report about the origins of the Shovi natural disaster was formulated by Georgian experts in conjunction with the Swiss firm (GEOTEST).
As per the preliminary findings released by the National Environment Agency on August 6, “the catastrophic geological and hydro-meteorological events in the Bubistskali river valley on August 3, 2023, were precipitated by the extensive glacier melt, the collapse of a rock avalanche at the glacier's head, atmospheric precipitation, landslide-erosive processes, and the flow of glacial runoff, all of which were solely attributed to natural factors.”
