Population Abandons Mountainous and Border Villages

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

Residents of the village of Erisimedi in Sighnaghi district has been using river water for drinking for six months already. Several families from Ilto Valley, who were damaged by natural disaster, are still homeless. If the river floods, locals cannot get in touch with district center because in 2005 the landslide destroyed the road. Village of Cheremi in Gurjaani district has not been supplied with electricity for 16 years. Because of extremely damaged road population has been separated from the world quite often. Officials promised to resolve their problems several times; but it mostly happened before elections. Large amounts are spent from local or central budget but because of unbearable conditions the population abandons the villages.

According to official information Sighnaghi municipality board has spent nearly 50 000 GEL (app. 25 000 Euro) for the rehabilitation of drinking-water supply for the village of Erisimedi in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Koba Lekiashvili, chairperson of the municipality board, states they repaired several wells in the village with the money; however soon all of them collapsed again.

1 891 200 GEL (app. 900 000 Euro) was allocated from the central budget to Sighnaghi district budget to repair drinking water systems in the district based on the resolution # 125 issued on March 14 2008 and resolution # 327 issued on May 15. According to the Sighnaghi municipality board, the money was spent reasonably however, the village of Erisimedi is still without water supply. Despite many petitions of local residents district budget for 2009 does not envisage expenses for the rehabilitation of Erisimedi; though total amount of the district budget is about 3 million GE (app. 1, 5 million Euro). L. Like in 2008, the priority of district budget in 2009 is still reimbursement of the district administration. 30 % of the district budget is allocated on the reimbursement of district administration and district council.

Solving the problems of mountainous villages of Akhmeta district that are far from the district center is not the priority of Akhmeta district government. The 2009 district budget envisages the rehabilitation of district roads but according to the Infrastructural Department of the local authority, the district government will not pay for the rehabilitation of roads in the villages of Ilto Gorge.

The Akhmeta District budget 2009 does not envisage compensations for the victims of the landslide. Several families in Shakhvetila, Chachkhriala, Vedzebi and Chartala villages were left homeless due to the natural disaster and tens of houses were damaged.
 
Aleksandre Mailashvili, chairperson of Akhmeta District Council says that the money for solving this problem must be allocated from the central budget. The district council applies to the resolution # 467 of the Government of Georgia (GoG) dating October 8, 2008. According to this order money was allocated from the reserve fund of the GoG to Sagarejo, Telavi and Gurjaani municipalities.

Cheremi village, Gurjaani District is almost empty because of unbearable conditions. 90 houses from more than 100 houses are abandoned in the village that is both historic and interesting for tourists. The village has been living without electricity for 16 years. There is no medical unit in Cheremi as well. ER cars are unable to reach the village because the road is much damaged.

Cheremi village was first established by the King Vakhtang Gorgasali in the second half of the V century A.D. He gave the village to his son and Crown prince Dachi. Cheremi Eparchy was established in the same period of time. As a consequence of these events, Cheremi became the political and religious center of the Kakheti region. In 1984 an archeological expedition excavated the ruins of the palace of King Vakhtang Gorgasali (VI). The historians consider that this palace has big historical importance. There are also other historical monuments in Cheremi that date back to the 5th century.
Last year the Gurjaani District Council established “the Cheremi Revival Fund” for solving the problems of Cheremi village. However, no one has seen any positive changes from this fund. Representatives of the Fund told us that they made a survey among Cheremians about their needs. Then they suggested some projects to the district council and asked for funding but the body of self governance, Sakrebulo, did not fund any of submitted projects.
The Kakheti Regional Administration, in particular, Giorgi Sibashvili, the deputy Kakheti Regional Governor, claimed in September 2008 that the mountainous and border villages needed special attention from the government. When we (the Human Rights Center) asked him why Cheremi was deprived off electricity for 16 years he said that the government would resolve this problem when the vintage was over in Kakheti. However, the promise was not kept. Officials from Kakheti Regional administration as well as Gurjaani District administration claim that the government failed to keep its promise due to recent developments in the country. The Kakheti Regional government faces rather serious challenges such as fostering tens of IDP from Shida Kartli and so on.
The regional government administration states that amid the economical crisis, which is supposed to last at least for 2 years as experts claim, the government will try its best to resolve the problem of landslide victims. Until then the population is leaving mountainous and border villages massively. Some families left Erisimedi for Azerbaijan. Most of locals went to Turkey and other countries to earn their living.