Oil Instead of Drinking Water

Maka Malakmadze, Adjara

It has been the second time the drinking water came with oil in the Bartskhani settlement. The government promised the population to eradicate the problem two months ago. The problems have still not been solved. The domestic items have been damaged for the second time. Later, they received another promise from the head of the Ltd Batumi Water Jani Varshalomidze after he came back from his holiday leave.

“It was pure oil running from the faucet. It damaged all pipes and our technique. The house smells like oil. We are afraid not to get poisoned. If it was not done intentionally, how come the oil joined the water?!”- Some residents are surprised.

“Oil cannot leave the pipe automatically. The whole pipe needs to be changed. We are not the specialists. Some employees of Batumi Water told us to let the water run for about 15 minutes and then we would have usual water. But how can the water coming out from oily pipe be normal water?!”

“They should drink such water. They need to see what it means to drink water that tastes like oil! This water even ruined washing machines. What can these people do? Since they are not suffering like us, they do nothing.”

Initially, the oily water first ran from the faucets of Bartskhani settlement on July 17th. Batumi mayor showed interest in this problem back then. He came to the spot and gave a general and a vague answer to the population: “Unfortunately, the system is deranged not only in Bartskhani settlement, but in the whole city. Sometimes, the situation is so hopeless that we cannot control it. Nobody did this intentionally.”

The director of Batumi Water Jani Varshalomidze explains the problem: “The pipe where the oil is coming from leaked. Then the water increased the water level and the oil streamed from the territory. Then it leaked in one of the damaged points of the drinking water pipe. When the water supply was restored, the oil started to flow in the system.”

The government forgot about the Bartskhani population and the problem of oily water afterwards since this settlement is in the district of the city and is less interesting for tourists. Locals are worried that the apartments do not get rented out or bought in their settlement: “Nobody wants to live in Bartskhani. One cannot breathe clean air because of the oil terminal situated here. Up until now it was the air polluted, now plus the water.”

The oil leaked from the pipe again on September 2nd. Nobody from the government, neither the head of Batumi Water Jani Varshalomidze came to see the residents. As for the technical director Aleko Mikeladze, he was busy during this period.

Jani Varshalomidze who came back from the holiday leave stated to the press: “This problem has been existent for a long time – 20-30 years. People are working on this issue, but it has not been solved yet. Batumi City Hall is trying to solve the problem as soon as possible. We want to bring the technique that will enable us to check the pipe.

On September 2nd, the laboratory assistants of Batumi Water showed up to the Bartskhani residents to check the water. After conducting inspection they noted: “fit for drinking.” The locals state that the laboratory assistants gave them non-official advice to let the water run for a long time, it would clean the pipe and then we would have normal water.