The European Union supports the populations living on both sides of the conflict divide

Facilitating access to water as a means to mitigate the consequences of the conflict

On September 6 EU Mission in Georgia spread press-release which states that the project will be instrumental to:

• Reconstruct the left wing of the service outlet of the Zonkari dam;
• Rehabilitate the potable water distribution network within the village of Znauri;
• Install a pump driving irrigation water from Saltvisi to the upper part of the village of Nikosi;
 • Carry out a feasibility study for assess the possibility of increasing the potable water supply to Tskhinvali;
• Assess the repair work needed for resuming the supply of potable water from the Vanati intake.
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 The European Union is funding the project totalling € 945.000, which will be implemented by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), under the guidance of its current Irish Chairmanship. This initiative is the result of an understanding reached by the participants in the Geneva Talks, who recognise the need to facilitate assess to potable and irrigation water for the communities.

Background: In 2010 the European Union resumed the Economic Rehabilitation Programme in South Ossetia that had been launched in the 90s and interrupted due to the conflict in 2008. A € 2 million project mainly focused on the provision of irrigation and potable
water to the population across the conflict divide, and made safer and operational the Zonkari dam. This new project will build on the results of the previous one, facilitating access to potable and/or irrigation water to several hundreds of families on both sides of the Administrative Boundary Line.

* The term 'South Ossetia' refers to the territories under the control of Tskhinvali. This terminology is not of any prejudice to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and should not be considered as any form of recognition of independence.

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