The Government of Georgia shall immediately eradicate the problem of drinking water pollution in Sagarejo municipality villages

HRC monitoring revealed alarming pollution of drinking water in the villages of Sagarejo municipality.

HRC addresses the Government of Georgia to immediately eradicate the problem and provide the population with true information.

Based on the request of the Kakheti regional division of the LEPL National Food Agency, the laboratory of the G. Natadze Sanitation, Hygiene and Medical Ecology Scientific-Research Institute conducted the analysis of the drinking water in five villages of Sagarejo municipality in October 2019. The Commission concluded that in four villages (Patardzeuli, Giorgitsminda, Ninotsminda and Tokhliauri) the quality of the drinking water does not meet the requirements established by the January 15, 2014 Decree # 58 of the Government of Georgia about the “Technical Regulations of the Drinking Water.”

Based on the results of the laboratory analysis, the head of the Kakheti regional division of the NFA sent letter to the Sagarejo municipality mayor and recommended to take short-term and long-term measures to eradicate the problems. In the frame of the short-term works, the municipal city hall had to clean-disinfect the water reservoirs and chlorinate the drinking water in the mentioned villages. Besides that, before that, the city hall had to warn the population to drink only boiled water. 

Regardless the alarming conclusion and recommendations of the NFA, the local municipal city hall did not take any steps to eradicate the problems in the villages. 

In accordance to the Article 29 of the Constitution of Georgia, it is guaranteed to provide the population with the information about the environment: “Everyone has the right to receive full information about the state of the environment in a timely manner.” Therefore, fulfillment of the NFA’s recommendation is direct obligation of the municipal body and not its kind will.

Lack of systemic approach to the solution of the drinking water problems is the reason of years-long alarming situation. Inconsequent budget expenditures and fragmented mobilization of financial resources deprives the big part of the village population to have access to clean drinking water. 

In this particular case, it is critically important that the municipality city hall carried out initial, short-term activities, namely: to arrange chlorinate booths close to the water-reservoirs in the mentioned villages to clean the water and ensure safe health of local inhabitants.

HRC will continue advocacy of the problem in order to encourage the GoG to take real steps to eradicate the problem of the drinking water during the election year, which is also declared as “Year of the Water.”

Human Rights Center calls on:

the respective bodies of the Sagarejo municipality to promptly provide the population with the information about the quality of the municipal drinking water;

the government of Georgia to intensify the work on the eradication of drinking water problems and elaborate common systemic vision how to tackle them. The GoG shall take all measures to enable every citizen of Georgia to have access to clean water. 

Local municipalities to pay particular attention to the access of their population to clean water when drafting their budgets and to elaborate results-oriented strategy to resolve the problems.

Human Rights Center