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Rustavi Residents Think Yellow Rain Is Result of the Air Polluted by Giant Enterprises in Rustavi

April 20, 2011

Manon Bokuchava, Kvemo Kartli

On April 20, a muddy rain began at around 9:30 am in the Tbilisi and Rustavi areas. The rain was yellow and was leaving muddy spots on clothes, umbrellas and cars. People were concerned by this fact and connected it with the recent catastrophes of the world, mostly with the atmosphere pollution that has resulted from the explosion of the nuclear power station in Japan.

It was raining yellow in Rustavi at 9:30 am today. “I was walking along the street and I saw everybody had yellow dots on their coats in the street. We started to clean each other. We could not immediately guess that it was rain spots. I cannot say that a strong wind was blowing at that moment which could bring the sand from long distances. I think, this dust was coming from the factories located in our town,” said Badri Vephkhvadze, a Rustavi resident.

“I do not know what is going on?! A muddy rain started. I cannot understand the reason for this,” said Rustavi residents.

At this moment, nobody can prove that the yellow rain is a result of large factories from Rustavi.

Analysis from the NGO Green Alternative Ketevan Gujaraidze said we had yellow rain in Georgia in 2009 as well.

“Unfortunately, NGOs cannot carry out independent research. In 2009, when brick-yellow rain started, the National Environmental Agency (NEA) took samples and concluded that the rain was polluted with the sand coming from the desert. They also assumed that the wind could have brought the sand from the deserts of Egypt and Syria. Unfortunately, we cannot corroborate this information provided by the NEA with independent experts,” said Ketevan Gujaraidze.

Ramaz Chitanava, head of the hydro-meteorological department of the NEA, told the Human Rights Center that the rain mixed with the sand coming from the deserts. He added that the muddy rain cannot harm our health.

“Current synoptic situation assists us to assume that a deep cyclone might bring sand from the deserts of Egypt, Syria and Jordan. As for the chemical analysis, I think we should conduct similar analyses. However, it will be very difficult because it was not a heavy rain,” said Ramaz Chitanava.

He added that dirty rain was in Rustavi, Tbilisi and in several districts of the Eastern Georgia.

Ramaz Chitanava underscored that yellow rain was not intensive at all. However, the rain polluted the cars parking in the streets of Rustavi.

“It is not the first occasion when we have had muddy rain in our town. It happens quite often though the rain has never been that muddy before. The real reason behind this is not Egypt but those enterprises whose chimneys permanently release yellow smoke. Rustavi was the epicenter of this rain. Tbilisi residents could not properly realize that it was muddy rain,” said Melano Jikia from Rustavi.

News agency Interpresnews spread the comments of Svetlana Nioradze, Head of Monitoring and the Forecast Department at the Ministry of Environment about the muddy rain. She said the reason for this rain is the air-flow coming from the south-west which brings a big amount of sand and dust with it.

She added the air masses were supposedly coming from Egypt and Syria so the atmosphere is full of sand and dust and it has an impact on the rain too.

“Muddy rain is not a rare occasion. And it cannot harm human health,” said Nioradze.

Changeable weather is forecasted till 24 April throughout Georgia.

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