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Victims of Natural Disasters Request Assistance

April 7, 2010

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

From 13th till 17th of March natural disasters caused damage of 1 455 000 GEL to Kakheti region. Before that, on October 30-31 and on November 1, the disaster caused the damage of 7, 865 million GEL to the same region. The population received meager compensation only in Lagodekhi district. However, in the village of Uzuntala one family is still homeless. Local residents cannot clean the area from the stones at their own expenses.

According to official data, natural disaster of March 13-17 mostly damaged Sagarejo district. The strong wind removed roofs of give dormitories. The flooded ravines damaged the protecting dams, flooded several residential houses and agricultural plots.

The disaster caused damage of 70 000 GEL in Akhmeta district. On March 16, the flooded river Ilto damaged 24-kilometers long Akhmeta-Tianeti road and isolated 7 villages of the gorge from the surrounding area. The river damaged the source building of the drinking water in Akhmeta district; tens houses were flooded in the village of Kvemo Alvani. The water of the river damaged plots in Akhmeta district too.

The disaster caused damage of 350 000 GEL in Gurjaani district. The flooded Cheremi ravine destroyed the only linking road with the village of Cheremi. The plots were flooded in the village of Chandari, Shashiani, Vejini, Bakurtsikhe and Kolagi.

The disaster caused damage of 185 000 GEL in Telavi district. Flow of the flooded River Didkhevi flooded two residential houses in the village of Artana and destroyed the roads of the village. The disaster damaged the pipes of the drinking water in the village of Shalauri. The flood destroyed the bridge over the River Lopota and the bridge in the village of Ikalto.

The repair-works were done superficially. The riverbeds were deepened in several places, the water was pumped out from the houses in the village of Alvani and the bridge is being reconstructed in Ikalto village. At this moment, all villages have connection with the surrounding area.

The village of Uzuntala in Lagodekhi district was damaged 5 months ago but the houses and plots are still full of stones. The locals cannot cultivate their plots.

“As a result of the disaster, the plots got full of sand and stones. Villagers cannot clean the area themselves. They had social problems and now they will have even more. Many of them can hardly provide for their families. And the water took their product-reserves and fire food away,” said the governor of the village Uzuntala Jemal Niazov.

Lagodekhi district deputy governor Dimitri Loladze stated that the local authority assisted the victimized village within its possibilities. “We gave one sack of wheat flour to every family in Uzuntala. We restored the road and the bridge with the 120 000 GEL which were allocated from the budget. As for plots, I cannot clean their plots. They should clean their plots from the sand and stones,” said the deputy governor.

The family of 21-year-old Jeyhun Ramazanov is still homeless in the village of Uzuntala. As a result of the water-flood, their house was completely destroyed. The government did not assist them. The deputy governor explained the Ramazanovs did not have the house registered in the Public Registration Agency and do not have corresponding documents.

According to environment experts, if the humidity increases in Kakheti region, the geological process will get even more active. More than 50 villages of the region are in danger.

Despite the complicated situation, serious measures are not taken that could prevent the natural disaster during water-floods. The district governors claim that the reason of their inaction is the lack of financial resources. They said that neither central budget allocates enough funds for the prevention of natural disasters. According to official data, the government this year, unlike last year, reduced the funding of the bank-reconstruction activities from 9 million GEL to 1, 800 million GEL.

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