Tbilisi: The Environment and Agriculture Ministry held a hearing on the implementation of the Action Plan for Improvement of Atmospheric Air Quality in Rustavi city.At the meeting, Minister of Environment and Agriculture Otar Shamugia talked about air pollution as one of the major environmental challenges for the country and stressed the importance of state policies and the effectiveness of measures taken in this regard.
“It is important that we have 87% progress in the implementation of the activities under the Rustavi atmospheric air quality improvement action plan. This is the result of the joint effective work of the state, civil society, and private sector.
I would like to thank all parties involved in the process, especially the business representatives, for being responsible. “Our children and we must live in a healthy environment that can only be achieved by a united effort,” Otar Shamugia said
At the meeting, Maia Bitadze, Chairman of the Committee for Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of the Parliament of Georgia, spoke about the importance of coordinated cooperation of relevant agencies involved in the process of implementation of the plan and the results achieved.
“It is important that we work with representatives of the business. Parliament will approve in the near future a bill on repetitive fines for technical inspection and visual emission control, which will jointly help us achieve our common goal of improving air quality,” said Maia Bitadze.
At the meeting, the mayor of Rustavi Municipality Nino Latsabidze stressed the importance of progress made in the implementation of the Rustavi Atmospheric Air Quality Improvement Action Plan and spoke about the effectiveness of the measures taken by the city hall.
According to Rustavi mayor, the city has a great green potential, which will significantly help the process of improving air quality.
The talk touched on the issues of the implementation of legislative changes in the environment, improving self-monitoring of emissions of vehicles in Rustavi, green infrastructure as well as improving the system of atmospheric air quality assessment in Rustavi and raising public awareness.
The meeting was attended by members of Agriculture Ministry including, Deputy Ministers Nino Tandilashvili, Kakha Kakabadze, Solomon Pavliashvili, MPs of the Georgian Parliament Irakli Shatakishvili and Alexander Dalakishvili, representatives of the civil movement “Gavigude” and the heads of the relevant department of the ministry.
