11 Abandoned Villages, 12 Villages with only 50 Families Left out of 23 Villages in Pshavi

There are 11 abandoned villages, and 12 villages with 50 families out of 23 villages in Ukana Pshavi region. The locals told the Information Center of Mtskheta Mtianeti that population abandoned villages Akhadi and Matura for the last two years.

“People abandon the mountain every year. Only mountains and empty villages remained here. The government does not pay attention to the mountainous regions. Young people move to the valleys because they cannot get jobs here. Only old people remained here. I do not know how long we will stay here. Our life is horrible. The road is damaged; it is impossible to get here in the snow; the roads get blocked and the villages are isolated from the environment before May. We cannot even learn if somebody dies in the village during winter,” said Vakhtang Tsokilauri from Vake Village.

Only two families live in Muko village in Ukana Pshavi. “There is a bad road in the mountain. School and medical center is located only in one out of 12 villages. There are no towers for cell phones in Muko and relatives cannot call us on the phone either. So, young people will not be able to live in similar conditions and they have to move either to Tbilisi or to Dusheti. The government does not care about mountain and local people,” Shalva Tsitelauri from Muko village told the ICMM.

ICMM