Residents of Sakobo village in Sighnaghi district request to study the legality of expenditure of the grants allocated by the Dutch international organization.
The organization funded reduction of risk-factors of pesticides removed from circulation in Kakheti region. However, locals reported that activities scheduled in the project were not implemented completely.
According to villagers, only pesticides were removed from the former warehouse of poisons within the project.
“They had to cut off the land which was polluted and smelled terrible. They did not do it and the place where the pesticides were stored turned into a swamp. Situation is particularly unbearable in summer and when wind is blowing people cannot go outside and open window. Besides that, our cattle drinks polluted water and as specialists told us dairy products are polluted as well. However, we still use and sell them,” said locals. Besides that, during rain the water from swamp flows into the channels and joins Alazani irrigation system.
Representative of the organization in charge of the project implementation Khatuna Akhalaia claims the accusations of the Sakobo residents are groundless. She said outdated pesticides were completely removed.
Warehouse of the poisons was built 25 years ago in the village. Since 1994 the warehouse was not protected and pesticides were scattered without any attention for 14 years. The former territory of the warehouse is spread on 10 hectares and is several meters away from residential houses.
Recently, several disabled children were born in the village of Sakobo and locals connect this fact with abandoned warehouse.
Kakheti News Center represents photo-reportage prepared by our correspondent in the village of Sakobo. In near future we will present journalistic investigation about this fact.
Source: Kakheti News Center