Tbilisi, Georgia: A working meeting was held at the National Environment Agency in connection with determining the causes of the natural disaster in Shovi under the leadership of the First Deputy Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture, Nino Thandilashvili. The update was shared by the government of Georgia on August 7, 2023.
The First Deputy Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture addressed the audience present and conveyed, “We process and analyse to the maximum all the information that has developed in the valley. Society, in this very difficult time, should be provided with the most accurate information possible.”
Thandilashivili proceeded and said, “We did not stop working for a single minute. This morning, our specialists inspected the valley in detail once again. Tomorrow we will have a conclusion based on specific data and analysis. We will deliver the conclusion to the public promptly.”
Additionally, he said that all he can say at this stage is that there has been an instant event development. This is the process of glacial melting. The rock mass and part of the glacier collapsed. The processes in the valley developed very quickly, which was accompanied by landslides and subsequent landslides.
“We are dealing with the coincidence of several natural events; in the end, we got the worst picture. I want to appeal to everyone once again and ask that when there is such a difficult emotional situation, we should listen to specialists, rely on data and not spread information that will mislead the public and further aggravate an already very difficult emotional background. Our request would be for everyone to refrain from spreading unverified information,” she added.
“Specialists need time to make as accurate a conclusion as possible and to give comprehensive answers to all questions related to the causes of the natural disaster,” said the First Deputy Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture, Nino Thandilashvili.
