Flood and Landslide Left Peasants Harvestless in Adigeni District

Gulo Kokhodze, Adigeni

On July 19 the land plots on the embankment of the River Otskhe in the village of Varkhani in Adigeni district were flooded. It happened after the mountain between the villages of Varkhani and Khevasheni slipped downward.  

“Residents of the village of Khevasheni were repairing the irrigation channel; maybe they could not make it possible to make the water-flow properly and it resulted into slippage of the mountain. After that the rains also started,” said Jemal Minadze, a resident of the village of Varkhani.

The river Otskhe changed its bed and moved to the plots of the peasants. The landslide completely destroyed the grassland and orchard of Jemal Minadze.

“I could not manage to cut the hay; I usually harvested ample hay from this land. Now the total 1,600 meters of land is completely under water. The water washed out old fruit-trees and carried them away,” explained the small farmer.

It is difficult to believe that several days ago there were plants and fruit trees on the flooded territory.

‘Now we have an artificial lake,” said the villagers.

The natural disaster left 15 families without harvest.

Families of Suliko Murjikneli, Amiran Gubeladze and Nona Sakhamberidze had plots of corn, bean, potato, pepper, tomato and cucumber.

Single retired person, Gogona Natriashvili was left without winter reserve; she had planted potato in her plot and was expecting a good harvest.

“The river full of slush and mud and the force carried our potato crop away; it was terrible sight,” said villagers who witnessed the landslide.

“Soon corn would have been ready to harvest. But the flood has destroyed everything. Initially the frost damaged the harvest; then permanent rains and now the landslide put an end to our harvest. The peasant is never safe in this life,” said Neli Minadze, local resident.

The villagers hope that local authority will reimburse them for some of their damage. Besides that serious works must be carried out in the area of the landslide.

“Governmental officials arrived here; they saw the flooded territories and promised to reimburse the damage. We will wait; they should start repair-works too but the tractor cannot get to that place. Thus, the workers should walk across our plots to alter the river-bed again,” said Jemal Minadze.

Badri Matoshvili, Adigeni district governor, stated that they have set up a commission after having examined the site of the recent flooding and land slippage, and the commission would work on the problem. “Currently we are studying the situation then we will prepare conclusions; calculate the damage inflicted and finally we will send the data to the central government for action.”

The governor said that the local budget does not have enough sum to compensate the inflicted villagers. “I visited the ministry two days ago and they are now discussing the problem.”