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Dangerous Land Slip on Tbilisi-Senaki-Leselidze Main Highway Destroys Road Sections

July 14, 2008

Nana Pazhava, Zugdidi

The vehicles can not move at village Tsaishi section of Tbilisi-Senaki-Leselidze international highway since May 27. The drivers are forced to use other side roads and detours in reaching their final destination. The reason for paralyzed car flow is that 45 km. stretch of road collapsed and produced a 4-5 meter deep ravine on 329th highway of Tbilisi-Senaki-Leselidze main road. The official representatives of the Road Department of Ministry of Economical Development state that the road was damaged because of a land slip. However, in spite of the terrible conditions, nobody has created a project that would provide for road rehabilitation till the present time. The law enforcers have not launched a criminal case in the circumstances. The journalistic investigation agency “Dro Da Sivrtse” (Time and Space) has exclusively been investigation the circumstances to the problem.

329th highway was considered as dangerous part of main road for many years. However, nobody ever mentioned the possibility of its eventual failure.  No one ever bothered to reconstruct the highway. The road started to slide away in the spring of 2008. The road which had lowered for several centimeters was again asphalted in May 2008. However, the road still lowered even more and then a second layer of asphalt was laid on the highway in the middle of May. One part of the road had to be closed. In spite of all efforts to patch the problem, the road collapsed on the night of May 27th. Even locals were on hand to witness the process of its collapse.

Jano Janashia: “It was raining cats and dogs. The level of the road surface lowered for 15 centimeters that evening. The patrol police blocked one side of the road and placed signs for banning the movement of cars.  When I looked out from my house next morning there was no road could be seen. When I took closer I saw 3-meter hole which grew even larger by evening.”

Zviad Pachkoria: “We knew that the road would collapse sooner or later.  However, we did not think it would be so quick in its final end.  First the asphalt cracked and then the road split open and it all started to sink and slip away; the police patrolled at the scene all through the night.”

The journalistic investigation agency “Drop Da Sivrtse” started an investigation when the facts about the failed road had already been publicized by various media sources. After having taken a closer inspection of the collapsed road, Tengiz Chkhikvadze, director of “Dro Da Sivrtse” officially requested information about what had taken place from the Office of Samgrelo-Zemo Svaneti Governor and Regional Department of Prosecutor’s Office.

Tengiz Chkhikvadze: “We asked Zaza Gorozia {the governor of Samgrelo-Zemo Svaneti region} questions he was legally accountable to provide us answers. We wanted to find out when Gorozia first learned that the road might collapse. We also wanted to find out if regional administration had complete, official information on the region’s vehicle roads; did they know these roads were safe or not. We were interested what activities were carried out for the road reconstruction during last 4 years and what activities were planned. Overall we put 19 questions to him to provide answers. Aleksandre Akhvlediani, deputy governor answered to our letter in stead of Gorozia. However, it was not his answer actually; he simply sent the letter that he had been provided from the Road Department.”

The Road Department affixed to its own letter the report from Ltd. Gzaproekti. The Ltd. Gzaproekti will implement the process of the main road rehabilitation. Therefore he had presented a report to the Road Department and this report described the reasons for landslides that took place close to the road.

Gzaproekti’s findings of geological and geodesic investigation show that the “subject in question is situated in the valley of River Juma, in particular, at the sloping part of Odishi Plateau. The object is crossed by the right tributary of River Juma. The river bed is approximately 14-16 meters deep. The slope inclined for 30 degrees... The research showed that periodically there were landslides on this territory. The problem is also associated to springs were underground waters seeps out from the middle of the slope.

The locals state that the underground waters were naturally blocked. Therefore the level of underground water increased and the water made the slope soil layers wet. Consequently, the slope and the highway on top of it started moving.”

The journalists of “Dro Da Sivrtse” accused both the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Regional Governor and District Prosecutor of negligence and acting in an irresponsible way.

Tengiz Chkhikvadze: “Zaza Gorozia expressed an interest in the road collapse when we officially demanded that he provide answers to our questions. Probably he had not been interested in the conditions of Samegrelo roads prior to that. The representatives of the District Department of Prosecutor’s Office were negligent as well. The District Prosecutor declined to answer our questions, as Koko Arnania, Zugdidi District Prosecutor told me: “There are no grounds for launching a criminal case. Have not you watched TV? The road collapse was caused by a landslide.” I don’t get it. Is the television station a bureau of experts? In my opinion the criminal case should have been launched as the road owned by a country collapsed. Consequently, the state budget incurred loss. They should have found out who is responsible and what caused the collapse. The road should have been blocked back in April as someone could have died; the threat was real.”

The journalistic investigation agency found out that Demur Sajaia, the division Road Management of Zugdidi District had informed the Road Department that the main road was collapsing.

Tengiz Chkhikvadze: “It was not Sajaia’s responsibility to inform anyone of the threat or to asphalt the highway again in order to hide the cracks. He proceeded to call Roman Dalakishvili, head of the Road Department and informed on the possibility of collapse. Sajaia did not write an official letter. Dalakishvili instructed Sajaia to asphalt the road orally and this was illegal carried out. This was Dalakishvili’s decision to solve the problem fast but ineffectively. Guram Vakhtangishvili, deputy head of the Department admits that the road was asphalted twice. They hid the lowered road hoping the cracks would not increase. This is a crime! Moreover, Vakhtangishvili refused to answer our 19 questions.”

No geological monitoring has been conducted to Georgian roads for the last 20 years. Ts. Togonidze, head of Ltd. Gzaproekti Geological Department stated that the Georgian Government did not express desire to conduct geological monitoring of roads which made Georgian roads risky. As no monitoring has been conducted the places that are dangerous with regard to landslides, and many of these sites are unknown.

The journalists of Dro Da Sivrtse state that if geological monitoring of Georgian roads is not conducted, and as a result what has happened in this case will be on the increase. As a consequence, people, budget resources and the country as a whole will incur additional losses.

329th highway of Tbilisi-Senaki-Leselidze main road is blocked off with a yellow tape. The project for the road rehabilitation does not exist as of yet. According to the findings of Ltd. Gzaproekti, instable soil under the collapsed highway must be changed and drainage works conducted, which is essential for decreasing level of underground waters and to avoid the continued wetting of the unstable slope. No one knows when the traffic movement will be restored on the highway. However, we know that 1 million GEL is allocated for road rehabilitation, and in this case – it may be complete road reconstruction.
                                             

 

 

 

 

 

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