Categories
Journalistic Survey
Articles
Reportage
Analitic
Photo Reportage
Exclusive
Interview
Foreign Media about Georgia
Editorial
Position
Reader's opinion
Blog
Themes
Children's Rights
Women's Rights
Justice
Refugees/IDPs
Minorities
Media
Army
Health
Corruption
Elections
Education
Penitentiary
Religion
Others

Some people are suffering due to the financial interests of the brother of the President of Georgia

August 12, 2009

Gela Mtivlishvili

Breast, throat and skin cancer; general signs of intoxication; hepatocirrhosis– these are only several of the diseases from which many inhabitants of the villages of Ninotsminda and Tskarostavi, Sagarejo District. suffer after an oil  pipeline burst  in the villages. After an accident on the bore-well of Kanargo-Georgia hundreds of hectares of forest were destroyed and the water and soil were polluted. The resulting injuries to healtt are very serious. The death rate has increased substantially. Even though the situation is extremely difficult the oil company claims that the accident did not cause the extremely negative consequences.

A large amount of oil and gas erupted on September 10,2004 from the bore-well # 100 in the village of Ninotsminda, Sagarejo District. The specialists stopped the oil fountain only after three days. According to the commission which studied the reasons for the accident and identified the amount of damage, the oil pipeline burstwas caused by the accumulaton of an unexpected amount of gas that  could not have been detected .

“Rain of Black Oil”

Kalia Rostomashvili, an inhabitant of Sagarejo: In the morning of September 10 the village was suddenly covered with mist. Everything was painted in black. The feeling of throat burning and itching as well as other symptoms appeared immediately. We refrained from leaving home but our health conditions deteriorated day by day. For three days  the black oil was raining..”

Nadya Ivaniashvili, an inhabitant of the village Ninotsminda: “Suddenly a strong wind started blowing. The wind brought a strong smell. Ponds with black oil appeared in yards and on roads. We could not go out. We received information only on the TV. We heard from the TV that oil had erupted from a bore-well. A representative of an oil company was saying that the accident would be over soon. However, nothing had changed for 3 days and nights. Orchards and vegetables were completely destroyed in the villages of Ninotsminda, Tskarostavi and one part of Sagarejo.”

Elene Rostomelashvili, an inhabitant of village Ninotsminda:  “No one warned us that the water was polluted after the eruption of oil. We stopped drinking water only when we realized that we could not breathe properly after drinking water.  Skin diseases and allergies have become common among the villagers.  Problems with eyes appeared as well. The condition of people who had been suffering from high orlow blood pressure or other diseases has deteriorated. Doctors arrived in the village in several days after the eruption. They started examining us. Later he doctors  said that the significant increase in number of diseases was caused by the accident. However, they refused to state it officially.  The oil company bought insurance for us. We were supposed to be able to free medical treatmentdue to this insurance but the medical institutions refused  our treatment under this insurance.”

Tina Orkoshneli, a inhabitant of the village Tskarostavi: “The drinking water reservoir that supplied the villages of Ninotsminda and Tskarostavi with water is about 1 km  from the bore-well. Some of the  oil that had been spilled was pumped out of the village, somet was poured into a hole in the soil. Shio Shioshvili, the incumbent village Governor, assured us that the water was examined in a special lab and it turned out not to be polluted. He told us this two orthree days after the accident. We  drank this water for 7 days after the accident. Later we after the number of people with astma attacks and signs of skin deseases visiting medical institutiosn hadincreased we were told not to drink this water. For several months drinking water had been supplied to us by the people hired by the oil company. This water supply was terminated some time ago. They told us we had to clean the reservoir and water distribution channels, add chlorine to the water and we would have clean water. We did so. The village governor lead the process. We started using the water again. However, it turned out we should not have. The water became more dangerous after chlorine was added.

Many people suffer from various kinds of diseases in the village. The number of people suffering from cancers has  increased.”

The Statement of Kanargo-Georgia

The administration of oil company Kanargo-Georgia claims that the eruption of bore-well # 100 has not caused various diseases or pollution of drinking water.

“In accordance with the Georgian legislationthe company has done much work to irradicate  and prevent consequences of the eruption. This work was completed in 2006.

Moreover, the company expressed good will and took  measures that were not prescribed by law for the irradication of damage to the environment and the people . The company organized  research on the environment involving foreign experts. The issue of forest renovation was studied and monitored by the expert group of the Botanic Institute. An independent scientific-research firm Gama  conducted lab studies and control of the environment.

An Italian expert calculated the potential damage to the health of the population using European standards.

The following was ascertained by the researches: the process of revitalization of damaged forest was stabile; the soil pollution was incompliance with the norm  prescribed by  Georgian legislation.  The cultivated plots are not polluted; the concentration of hydrocarbons in the air did not exceed the ecological norms15 days after the accident. The concentration has not increased after that. The health of the population has not been damaged seriously (i.e. caused chronic diseases, cancers or complication of the conditions of people already suffering from various diseases)--the amount of oil that erupted was not sufficient to cause serious damage.. Professional medical experts have not identified any cases of acute chemical poisoning,” reads the official statement of the oil company Kanargo-Georgia.

Regarding  the harvest which was destroyed and damaged due to the accident, the oil company claims that the company fully compensated the loss due under  the conclusion of the joint committee of the representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and the village population and due pursuant  the complaints of the inhabitants. The company granted 878,000 GEL as compensation.

The Evidence against the Oil Company

Even though oil company Kanargo-Georgia claims that the eruption of bore-well # 100 has not caused various diseases or pollution of drinking water  we have the proofs showing the opposite.

Proof # 1

The oil company refers to the conclusion of the Asthma, Alergy and Clinical Immunology Centre of the Tbilisi State Medical Institute when it claims that various diseases have not spread due to the accident and no cases of poisoning were registered. “None of the 9 patients that were x-rayed and examined in labs and using ecoscopy and other methods  suffer from an oil poisoningor other diseases caused by the oil poisoning. Even though they suffer from various diseases these diseases mostly are connected with unsatisfactory living conditions and not with the oil,” reads the conclusion which is signed by Professor Aleksandre Telia, the head of this medical centre.

The people who were examined according to the medical conclusion claim that they were in the Alergy and Clinical Immunology Centre but that they were not examined.

Eter Keratishvili: “I have been ill since the oil erupted. A commission of medical experts from the Ministry of Health  arrived in the village after the eruption and examined us. Their diagnosis to me was chemical poisoning. When I came to doctor Aleksandre Telia for examination, he did not examine anything. This is when it is written in the conclusion that my diagnosis was allergic rhinitis, increased sensitiveness towards room dust. This is a lie. I realized that Aleksandre Telia and the other doctors who worked with him were not impartial when they exclaimed “who dared to write this!” about the conclusion of the commission of medical experts from Ministry of Health. The conclusion had been included in my medical history and claimed that I suffered from chemical poisoning.”

Proof # 2

An extract from the letter of the Sagarejo Policlinic dated July 13, 2005 reads: “A commission of doctors created within the Sagarejo Policlinic examined 1,206 residents of Ninotsminda, Tskarostavi and a part of Sagarejo villages from September 11 to 21 in connection with the accident which occurred on a bore-well in the village of Ninotsminda, Sagarejo District. The following diseases that were caused by the contact with oil products were revealed: pharyngitis, laryngitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, gastritis, dermatitis, neurocirculatory dystonia, signs of poisoning and conjunctivitis.

Proof # 3

An extract from a joint letter of Sagarejo Children’s Policlinic and Children’s Hospital: “We have examined 280 children of ages 0 to15. We have identified that they are suffering from the same deseases as the juveniles and adults.”

Proof # 4

An extract from the conclusion of the commission of medical experts dating October 8,2004: “The results of medical examinations show that the eruption of oil caused reversible diseases (inhalant catarrh, pharyngitis, laryngitis and conjunctivitis). The chronic deseases have become acute. The gastroenteritis can be caused by the pollution of the water pipeline.”

Proof # 5

An extract from the report of the Medical Research Institute of Sanitation and Hygiene: “The institute was obliged to evaluate the cultivated soil near the Ninotsminda village, Sagarejo District from the sanitary-chemical standpoint under a contract signed with Ltd. Kanargo-Georgia dated January 30,2005 and to evaluate the quality of water supplied to  Ninotsminda and the drinking water from the water bore-well which was made by the oil company. The extract includes the material in the following 2 paragrahps.

In September-October of 2004 the Monitoring Centre of Financial Damage to Environment within the Georgian State Department of Hydrometeorology and Scientific-Research Firm Gama conducted a joint research on the quality of the drinking water in the village of Ninotsminda. The evaluation of their data from the hygienic standpoint shows that the level of hydrocarbon was within the norm during the next four months (September-December) after the accident on bore-well # 100. We consider that the number of studied areas and topography does comply with the methodological principles of taking  soil samples. 
 
The presence of oil products was studied in 40 soil, 6 water and 27 food samples within the reporting period. All 6 samples were polluted with oil products. The percentage of hydrocarbon in the water samples exceeded the norm. In four samples it exceeded the norm by 45; 42,5; 19,5; 23 times. In a water sample from a gorge –it exceeded the norm by 21,5 times. In one sample there was no oxygen at all.  The water in the main reservoir from which the villages receive water is the most poluted. 19,5 miligrams per  of oil products are present per liter of water. . This indicates that the environment is polluted. It is absolutely prohibited to add chlorine to such water.” The report is signed by academician Irakli Paghava from  the Academy of Preventive Medicine.
 
Proofs Were Destroyed and the Victims Neutralized

When the report was publicized, Professor Irakli Pagava changed his opinion and wrote another report that contradicts the first one.

“According to the analysis made in 2005 no microorganisms which are dangerous for health were discovered in the samples. Some amount of oil was discovered in the water sample which was taken from  places where the water pipes were damaged and not from the main reservoir”, said Pagava in his second report.

According to the residents of Ninotsminda, Professor Irakli Pagava made this conclusion after he was oppressed.

Nino Laghadzishvili, a resident of Ninotsminda village: The representatives of the oil company took some people whose health condition was very grave to a hospital in Tbilisi. Doctors examined us inattentively and told us that we needed only consultations with psychologists and sedative pills. They said that the complication of our illnesses had no connection with the eruption of oil. Only one doctor, Khuta Pachkoria dared to write that my body was poisoned after inhalation of the oil. My tongue was so swollen, that there was no space for it in my mouth. I had a rash and red growths on my skin that I had never had before. Dr. Pachkoria prescribed medicines. I took a special form on which my diagnosis was written to an insurance company, but the company did not transfer any money to me. Later when the insurance company was required toreturn my documenst  it  returned everything except  the form on which my diagnosis was written. It claimed that I had not provided such a form at all. I visited Dr. Pachkoria in Tbilisi once again and asked him to write my diagnosis one more time but he refused and proposed to provide me only with medical treatment.”

Emzar Gorgiladze, a resident of Ninotsminda, one of the victims who requires compensation for the damage to him. Several times he took part in the protests actions of the eruption victims against the oil company .

Gorgiladze said: “The local government did its best to prevent the protest actions. The representatives of the local government and of the oil company tried to win over the leaders of the protest demonstrations. To stop me they offered me a position in the District Governor’s Office and then the post of the head of the staff of the District Governor’s Office and then the position of Deputy District Governor to.  Gocha Shavgulidze, one of the leaders of the oil company visited me and asked me how much money I wanted to stop. The oil company even promised me a well-paid job in the company, but I refused. Then the local government representatives started threatening me. They said they would find some reason to put me in prison but they failed.”

He also said that the local government distributed the compensations the oil company allotted to us for the damaged harvest. “3,000 GEL was officially allotted to citizen Kakha Nareklishvili but he did not receive the money. When his problem was publicized Kakha was appointed the lawyer of the Sagarejo District Governor’s Office and he stopped cooperating with us after that. 10,000 GEL was officially allotted to a citizen Tulashvili but we could not find this person. These facts irritated the villagers even more. Shio Shioshvili, the Ninotsminda village Governor, was tasked with to calming people down but soon he started working for the oil company soon,” recalled Gorgiladze.

Proof # 6

Tsisman Nadiradze, 13 years old, from the village of Tskarostavi, Sagarejo District became ill after the oil eruption.  In the first days of the eruption she started suffering from allergy; then her skin became completely white and then she became completely bald. According to the information from the Sagarejo Children’s Policlinic, Tsismar Nadiradze had not been suffering from any illness before September 2004. The medical examination results show that she has cancer. She was being treated in the Tbilisi National Centre for Cancer until the family could not pay for the treatment. Tsismar Nadiradze cannot have chemotherapy now because it is very expensive. The family has nothing left to sell to pay for Tsismar’s treatment and the local government and the oil company have not helped the family even though they have applied many times.

Proof # 7

The health condition of Mariam Chavchanidze, a resident of village Tskarostavi, has deteriorated after the oil eruption. The medical commission from the Ministry of Health concluded that “some parts of her liver have necrosis.”

On September 27, 2004 aprivate clinical-diagnostic lab in Tbilisi sent Mariam Chavchanidze’s  blood sample to a lab in Heidelberg, Germany. The German doctors ascertained that the serious increase of benzol in her blood was caused by oil products. Their medical report says that the normal point is 0.5 and Chavchanidze has 4.3 points of benzol in her blood.

The Court Decision Disappeared from the Case Materials

The victims sued the oil company in the Tbilisi City Court in 2005. The Tbilisi City Court transferred the case to the Sagarejo District Court. The Sagarejo District Court returned the case back to the Tbilisi City Court. The actual case discussion started in 2007. On January 30, 2007 Mirian Nikoladze, the attorney for the plaintiffs filed a motion in the Tbilisi City Court to order a report from an ecologic expert. Judge Besik Sisvidze granted the motion orally but did not give a written order to the attorney for the plaintiffs.

In June 2009, attorney Nikoloz Mzhavanadze from the NGO “Centre for Ecological Justice” was involved in the case to protect the interests of the victims. He claims that there is no written order from the judge about the ecologic expert report among case materials. “The trial record was falsified as well. They took out the part where it was written that the judge granted the motion of the attorney for the plaintiffs about ordering an ecologic report. In the trial of July 10, 2009 I asked where was the written order of Judge Besik Sisvidze about ordering the ecologic expert report. Judge Vladimir Kakabadze said that there was no such order among the case materials because the judge had not made such order. In the end, the expert report was not made because neither the motion of the attorney nor the judge’s order were found. We requested the expert report for the second time but our request was rejected by Judge Vladimir Kakabadze in a July 17, 2009 decision on the basis that we failed to prove that the oil eruption damaged the people,” noted attorney Nikoloz Mzhavanadze.

An official letter from Nona Kavalashvili, a representative of the oil company Kanargo-Georgia to the judge which we have obtained from the case materials proves that Judge Besik Sisvidze from the Collegioum on Civil Cases within the Tbilisi City Court ordered an ecologic expert report. The letter is officially registered by the chancelory of the Collegioum on Civil Cases within the Tbilisi City Court and has registration number 5227. In the letter Nona Kavelashvili states: “In the trial of January 30, 2007 you upheld the plaintiffs’ motion on ordering a comprehensive expert report. We would like to inform you that it is very difficult to ascertain the connection between the accident and the health conditions of the population because two years have passed since then. It is impossible to carry out such research. No special body exists that could do this research and hospitals also do not have resources for this. The Georgian legislation does not prescribe the body that could do such research. No registered body or licensed treating institution or individual expert.”

Several days after the oil eruption it was written in the Georgian press that Davit Saakashvili, a brother of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, was the actual owner of Kanargo-Georgia . Giorgi Gachechiladze, the leader of Green Party commented  about this as well. The Oil company Canagro-Georgia denies this information and states that he only worked there.

News