Homeless Eco-Migrants

At Adjara Supreme Council, the topic of distributing the 4 million GEL resulted in a great controversy. Opposition and one part of the majority supported the idea of spending the money on people who had become victims of natural disaster in Adjara. Finally, according to the decision of the most deputies, the funds should be spent on arranging the Adjara region infrastructure, such as painting the facades and development of the Adjara TV Company. In parallel to it nearly 500 eco-migrants are looking for shelter.

Population form the mountainous Adjara permanently abandoned its estates during many years because of frequent natural disasters. Mass migration of Adjarian people started late in the 1980s. The authority resettled them in the Samtskhe-Javakheti, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Samegrelo, Imereti and Guria. Nearly 3 000 families reside in Tsalka at present.

Despite the situation, funds to support the eco-migrants reduce in the budget year-by-year. This year the state apportioned one million lari to aid the victims of the natural disaster. The Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation should purchase the houses with both deported people from Meskheti and for eco-migrants with that money.  The authority has not worked out any program to assist the eco-migrants under what it should be possible to grant those people with houses and plots.

Because of lack of minimal living conditions, the people who had been resettled in various regions of the country years ago abandoned those places too and today, Adjara region hosts more than 800 back-migrated families.

Nearly 200 families left the Khoni District because of unbearable situation. One hundred families
Remained on the place however they live in former isolators and wooden huts. Twenty years ago, those people were lodged in former isolators of the Internal Ministry with the hope that the government would purchase houses for them. Eco-migrants resemble their lives with the lives of prisoners. However, unlike prisoners, their imprisonment term is not identified.

In Tsalka, settlers have to live in unbearable situation. Severe climate is added with hard living conditions. They cannot feed themselves.

Although, part of settlers was given houses, they do not have plots to earn their living from. They could not even rent the plot. Zurab Mikeladze, the deputy for the Adjara Supreme Council, demanded the authority to involve the problem. “Since they were not local people, they were not allowed to receive plots. They could rent the plots because they were not officially registered in the district. They rely on Almighty’s mercy. As they had no way out, they applied to the renters. Consequently, they are given one acre of land to clean, cultivate and then the eco-migrants have to pay money for having used that plot. These people turned into servants and the problem seems will never be resolved,” said Mikeladze.

Mikheil Makharadze, another member of the Supreme Council speaks about working out a program that would assist the eco-migrants. He said that the authority should systematically work in order to improve the living conditions of the people. “Adjara authority and the Supreme Council should work on concrete proposals and introduce them to the Georgian President. After that the program would be prepared and the authority will make some decision. Some finances should be allocated and these people must be settled not only in Tsalka but in any region of the country. There is no more way out,” said Makharadze.

According to official information, in Adjara there are 3 574 families who had become victims of natural disaster, 488 out of whom are left homeless.

People, who live at the seaside, have been damaged by the natural disaster for already several years. The sea has grabbed the plots of dozens of families in the village of Adlia. Some of them have their houses destroyed because of the sea. These people also expect the government to assist them.

Under the “Conception on Underpinning the Adjara Part of the Georgian Black Sea Coast”, 22, 5 million USD is necessary to resolve the problem. The underpinning works can be carried out on the coastline from Sarfi up to Choloki. However, there are some other projects too; three million lari is enough to underpin the Adlia-Batumi coastline. The budget does not plan to fund any of these projects yet. The sea has already threatened the coastline near the airport that is under construction in Batumi. The underpinning works are carrying out in this area by Turkish investor, the owner of the airport.

Irma Zoidze, Batumi