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A River in a Sarcophage

November 17, 2009

Malkhaz Kharbedia

 
 Author of the Project and director
 of the Georgian Road Science
 Tamaz Shalikadze Presenting a Map of
 the Central Highway on the River Vere
Short time ago, a governmental official invited people to visit Tbilisi.gov.ge during a talk-show on the Public Broadcasting. This website was prepared to present the general plan of Tbilisi development. The official almost urged people to visit the website and take part in the discussion. Although we could see the map on the very first page, we could not find any public space on the website where we could express our opinion. Furthermore, the plan was posted only in PDF file and we could not find the general plan either in the search either.

After that, you can easily understand what kind of discomfort a person might encounter if s/he wants to find out more about the “Varaziskhevi-Tamarashvili motor-way. The century project has been kept secret for months though many discussions were dedicated to the issue. Nobody could witness these discussions.

The map of the most problematic part of the Vere River was restored from the photo, which we took on the river bank; it was on the advertising banner on the fence of School of Future. A person can find the map only here behind the bars; there are no other places where you can see the map. Furthermore, it has not been discussed publicly (except one occasion when the author of the project visited Boule Foundation and discussed the project with 40 people). Many people worry about this project and it will bother them even more if it is implemented. On the banner we can read that the project is implemented by the Georgian Road Science Ltd. It is impossible to get any information about this company: they have no website. We learned from Google that this organization often participates in various competitions and wins them.

The winner Ltd started to work in summer. Before the project was launched, in June, the head of the department for public services and amenities, Giorgi Lipartia, reported to journalists that the new motor-way will not be constructed in recreation zones and will damage neither the territory of the zoo and Mziuri Park, neither the houses of residents.

I found completely different picture in September when I visited the part of the valley between the zoo and Mziuri Park. I discovered that the motorway divides recreation zone and besides that separates the zoo and the park from each other; it runs through the greenery and will lose the function of the valley.

Ecological situation of the river and the valley is terrible: during the construction of the Mziuri Park, concrete sarcophagi was constructed around the river. The river-bed was then filled with construction materials. Now, they are going to install metal pipes where the river will flow in some places. It was completely unexpected for me to find out that the river will flow through the metal pipe for a 600 meters.

Of course, the entire river will not be put in pipes but the authors and implementers of the project have already done much harm to the river. First of all they breach the law.

The law (general plan of Tbilisi has power equal to the law) states: “Tbilisi’s landscape-ecological environment is entire natural ecological carcass, development of which is viewed as an entire network of valleys and bed of the River Mtkvari uniting natural and greenery territories.” And even more: “steadiness of the city ecological system relies on the maintenance, development, visual opening and reinforcement of the city environment and recreation.” “Maintenance of the landscape-ecological environment and development of the new are oriented at 11, 0 sq. meter per person greenery as well as reorganization of industrial-communal zones, rehabilitation of valleys and creation of new green spaces” (we can bring new examples).

Nowadays, according to the World Health Organization, for big cities standard for green trees per person shall be on the space of 50 sq. meters. The city, where greenery occupies only 10 % of the city, is considered to be bad for health; while in Tbilisi only 2 -5 sq. meters are covered with trees per person.

One month ago, the chairperson of the Union of Architects Davit Abuladze spoke about green spaces in his interview with the journalist of fact.ge He said this coefficient shall increase up to 23-25 sq. meters. However, as we see nobody is going to satisfy the requirement on 11 sq. meters too. “The River Mtkvari and its embankment, according to the system of land tenure of Tbilisi, shall become the main-bone for the greenery. Mtkvari river and valleys are used as rubbish damps, they shall be restored and trees shall be planted there.” Instead the City Hall sacrifices the valley of River Vere – one of the most important green areas – to the new motorway in order to discharge Chavchavadze and Pekini Avenues. There are no preliminary surveys carried out to confirm the opposite of the argument and nobody knows exactly how the new motorway will assist the traffic in Vake and Saburtalo districts.

“In every concrete case the society shall decide what is the priority for them – more convenient traffic or protection of natural or cultural environment and its accurate development. In Europe, as a results of grave mistakes made in 1960s and partly in 1970s we cannot find a city (particularly historical ones)where society prefers convenient traffic over the environment. Consequently, nobody constructs new motorways in the cities now.

Nothing was done in accordance to the above-mentioned plans in Tbilisi and it shows that construction of the motorway in the valley of the River Vere is urgently necessary; however this claiming is groundless. Today nobody knows whether it will discharge the traffic on Chavchavadze Avenue and even if it is possible nobody has compared (at least the society does not have information about similar survey) the profit of the new motorway with the damage to the cultural environment.

The government of the city really has funds to implement these activities but it is not aware of its necessity and what is more unpleasant, the government does not have responsibility before the society.”

Zurab Bakradze –Bonn, September 25, 2009 (extract from the publication published on Facebook)

Short time ago, several friends established initiative group and called it “Club for the Rescue of Vere River” (you can search it on internet very easily). We organized expeditions and the worst thing what we found out is that most part of the motorway will run not on the edge of the valley but along the river bank; that means that about 90 percent of the green trees will be destroyed. Consequently, we do not exclude the possibility that the territories around the motorway will be used for the construction of new buildings, particularly after the removal of the zoo to another place (comment of Tengiz Dolidze, member of the club).

Of course, the zoo shall be removed to another place by all means but we would rather think of planting new parks and trees than constructing noisy and dirty motorways. Some people think the solution of the problem is to make the greenery more active and planting new forests in the suburbs. However, it will not save the city center if we destroy the local arteries and if we do not maintain life and fresh air in the middle of the city. Valley of the Vere River is very important for this purpose because only this valley it has maintained the function of river in Tbilisi. Now, it is not time to dream, but every inch of the valley shall be used for the park; there are natural or artificial terraces where fruit-trees also grow and what is the most important the lower part of the valley is very rich in fauna; many fish live in the river.

Rivers have been destroyed, closed up and left without function in Europe for the last three centuries (London is a good example of it where about 15 rivers have disappeared) and people in Europe are aware what can be the result of such activities. London dwellers know that natural rivers are better than artificial ones and rubbish shall not be thrown in the river but old stones.

The Vere River has been destroyed for more than a century. If it continues like that, we will witness its death too. Much damage was caused to the river recently. Instead attempting to the help the river survive, we force it out of our life like a shameful past as if it was a Stalin statue.

We should not forget that we might set up new and bigger statues of shame.

Short History of Vere Pollution

In the second part of the XIX century the forest was actively cut down at the source of the River Vere and the level of the water in the river reduced. In the early XX century, the level of the water was twice lower than it was in the XVII century.

In the 1920s the soil erosion increased and a lot of land fell into the river.

1927 – first step to the pollution. Tbilisi Zoo was built in the valley of the Vere River which is stretched on 120 hectares.

In 1930s intensive constructions started on Hero Square. 1932 –a new bridge was constructed next to the old one. The old bridge, so called Khoja Bejbuda’s Bridge lost its function though it was maintained until 1957.

In 1935 – when the Cheluskineli Street was cut, the soil removed from the area was thrown into the river.

In 1950s intensive constructions started around the valley; simultaneously, industrial process reduced the water-level in the river. Several tributaries disappeared. The final part of the valley was roofed.

In spring of 1957 the old bridge was destroyed as a result of explosion.

Late in 1950s, the biggest tributary to the River Vere, Varaziskhevi, was led into concrete bed and partly it started to flow towards the Turtle Lake through additional tunnel.

 Since the 1970s intensive constructions were launched on the right embankment of the river from Tskneti Street to Ateni Street; as well as on the left embankment.

1978 – according to old datas, 800 cub. Meters of various substances were released into the river a day from the dye-house of the Silk Factory.

In 1982 “Mziuri” children town was opened in the Vere Valley. This was an idea of the writer Nodar Dumbadze. A group of architects and artists worked in the construction of the park. At that period, several hundred meters of the river were put in concrete plates.
 
In 1985 – chemical pollution of the river reaches a maximum. At that time, the water released from various factories fell into the river as well as sewerage system of the residential buildings. 19 cases of extreme pollution were detected this year.

Since 1990s, because of the new wave of construction, a new stage of the pollution has started.

In May 2009, the Tbilisi City Hall decided to construct a motorway from Varazishkhevi to Tamarashvili Street.

Source: Liberali

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