Environmental Organizations Request Tbilisi City Council to Protect Recreation Zones

Environmental nongovernmental organizations request the Tbilisi City Council to protect the recreation zones and protest deforestation of parks and squares in the capital. On March 7, the representatives of the Ecological Law Center and Young Greens of Georgia held assembly in front of the City Council.

The participants had photos and posters of deforested squares during the assembly.

Head of Ecological Law Center Nikoloz Mzhavanadze said the City Council is entitled to control and evaluate the projects of the Tbilisi City Hall or other governmental agencies, which threaten the recreation zones, and to hinder similar constructions; but the city council does not use this authority.

Mzhavanadze added that there is serious problem of greenery in Tbilisi – according to the standards of the World Health Organization the space of greenery per campita shall be 50 sq. meters but in Tbilisi it is less than 3 sq. meters and the situation is getting worse. Mzhavanadze said the last example of deforested squares was Kikvidze Garden where several hundred sq. meters of greenery are destroyed for the construction of police office.

The Tbilisi City Council has not responded to the protest assembly yet. The representatives of the environmental organizations state they will continue their protest and will appeal to the court to achieve their goals.

IPN