The Environmental Supervision Department of the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture has revealed 3 facts of illegal mining of sand and gravel in Guria, Imereti, and Mtskheta-Mtianeti.
The Environmental Supervision Department of Georgia shared the details of these facts on its official Facebook Page on Thursday, February 12, 2026. The Department also shared some glimpses of the facts along with their details.
According to the Department, the monitoring process was carried out by patrol crews as part of planned inspection activities aimed at strengthening control over the use of natural resources and preventing environmental damage.
Violations of the law were reported in Ozurgeti, Khoni, and Mtskheti municipalities. Violators illegally extracted sand-gravels of up to 60 cubic meters from the banks of rivers – Supsi, Horseshoe, and troughs using special equipment.
Administrative protocols were drawn up against the offenders, and the materials related to cases containing signs of criminal offenses were forwarded to the relevant investigative authorities for further legal response.
Illegal mining of sand-gravel causes major damage to the environment and can have serious environmental consequences, including deformation of river beds, bankruptcy, which can lead to seizure of benefits, disruption, erosion, as well as flooding of settlements, washout, decline in water levels, and destruction of ecosystems.
In order to prevent damage to the environment, protect natural resources, and minimize violations of law, the Environmental Supervision Department crews carry out 24-hour non-stop patrolling throughout the country and respond immediately to each message received on the Ministry’s hotline (153). As a result, in January 2026, 9 facts of illegal mining of sand and gravel were revealed. 3 of these facts contain signs of criminal offenses.
