Life in Endless Fear in Upper Mleta

Giorgi Janelidze, humanrightshouse.org 

Upper Mleta village in Dusheti district has been in the zone of natural disaster for several years already. Aragvi River running through the village threats locals every season of flood. At the same time, the river might get blocked by the landslide fallen from Lomisi Mountain, that will finally flood the village. Residents of Upper Mleta have been waiting for the resettlement into safer place for several years already.

Officially eight families live in Upper Mleta but as locals say the real number of families living in the village is 15. People live with fear during 24 hours – they are afraid to die with torture. Flooded Aragvi River runs into their houses. A tragedy happened in the village several years ago: the flooded river and landslide took three-year-old Khatia Nazgaidze away; unfortunately they could not rescue the child.

Since then locals are afraid of new tragedy. They have been waiting for the government to allocate compensation for them and to resettle them to safer place for ten years. 

Guram Gagadze, resident of Upper Mleta: “We have little children and guard the territory day and night to timely react on river flood and rescue children. We request compensation and immediate resettlement [to a safer place] that is not a problem for the government at all. We ask resettlement to Sokuriani village, below Gudauri. It is unsettled and safe territory. We petitioned to the local administration and they promise to help us but in vain. They say 10 000 lari was allocated for each family but nobody make official statement about it. Besides that, we cannot construct houses in the new place with 10 000 lari. It will be enough only for resettlement expenses. Now the budget allocated additional 150 000 lari to rehabilitate the river bed. They could give the money to eight families and everybody would have been satisfied with it.”

Representative of Dusheti district administration Zurab Burduli told the monitoring group of Human Rights House Tbilisi that in spring 2014 they received a letter from the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation which stated that in case the local inhabitants agree, they can be resettled to Kakheti, Samegrelo or in any region of the western Georgia. “The ministry did not offer Mtiuleti region. I asked locals to apply to the ministry but they did not. They refused to resettle to a new region.”

As representative of the local administration said, although compensations were allocated for local inhabitants, it is still impossible to resettle families in a safer place. “10 000 lari was transferred to the account of each family (total 80 000 lari) but they refuse to use it until the government registers the new territories on them. I think it is fair decision. The families wish to resettle in Sakuriani village in Kazbegi district. The district administration sent letter to the Ministry of Refugees this spring and the Ministry agreed to register the desired territory on the families. Afterwards, the Ministry addressed to the Gudauri district development agency, because Sakuriani is located in the recreation zone. The Agency ruled not to assign the territory to the families. Now we are working to find empty place in Mtiuleti territory where we will be able to resettle the families. The problem is that they already started cultivation of plots in Sakuriani village. In fact, they already own plots there but have no legal registration.”

Monitor Maia Asatiani, who represents Human Rights and Conflict Study Center – Kavkasia in the mobile group of Human Rights House Tbilisi, said that population, local and central authorities have agreed on set of issues but despite that the problem is not resolved yet. “The locals request the government to allocate and register safe alternative accommodation for them; as for the allocated compensations, people intend to spend them on the construction of houses. I think, the problem can be resolved as a result of coordination work among victimized citizens, local and central authorities.”

Zurab Burduli said the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure allocated additional 150 000 lari to conduct rehabilitation works in the zone. They intend to pave concrete plates alongside 100-150 meter distance to secure residents of Upper Mleta; we intend to repair the river bed that will somehow mitigate the problem. “At this stage there is no other way out but resettlement of those families will be the only right solution of the problem. Landslide has fallen from Lomisi Mountain and it creates permanent threat to them. The allocated money shall be reasonably spent. Nobody can spend the funds on other activities; it is impossible.”

Logically, if resettlement is the only reasonable solution of the problem, it would have been better to use the new portion of 150 000 lari on the resettlement of the families to the safe territory. The decision-makers shall be aware that residents of Upper Mleta do not want to go too far from their places of origin. 10 years have already passed in the endless petitions and fear. 

  

Original text