No buildings to be constructed in river Vere ravine
By Tatia Megeneishvili
Tuesday, July 7
No buildings may be constructed in river Vere ravine stated Minister of Environment Protection Gigla Agulashvili.
According to the minister, after what the city has faced during natural disaster on June 13, people must forget about living in the area.
“This ravine is a dangerous zone. Not only new houses must not be built, but the old ones, which may be re-constructed, must be dismantled,” stated Agulashvili.
He stated that this ravine is a natural river-bed which Vere created for its own existence many years ago.
“This area is municipal property. However, some parts of it were sold to private entities a few years ago and owners made unwise decisions and started constructing buildings. In my opinion no building must be allowed in the area till the very edges of Hero Square. Since the river bed runs through tunnels for a whole 900 meters, the plan for additional aqueducts is needed. We must do everything to avoid such tragedy in the future,” said Agulashvili.
The minister also spoke about changing the roads.
“I think we must take a glance at the road plan. If we are able to replace tunnels with bridges, we must do it,” stated Agulashvili.
The minister said that the government needs a better controlling mechanism to avoid construction in the risk zones.
“I understand that this may be linked to additional expenses. However, it will be better to spend money now than have both expenses and victims in the future. If private companies have no conscience, the government must push them to earn one,” stated Agulashvili.
The flash flood in Tbilisi resulted in the death of 19 individuals and 3 are still missing. It also caused approximately 50 million GEL damage. Over 161 families were left homeless. The 13 June flood was the biggest natural disaster in the city’s living memory.
