The FINANCIAL — Business is taking very small steps in the development of environmental protection in the country. Meanwhile its role in this sphere is huge.
“There are only a few large factories in Georgia but they have already caused lasting damage to the environment,” said Kakha Bakhtadze, Programmes Manager at CENN, local network of non-profit organizations working on environment problems in the Caucasus. “They need to take responsibility for fixing the damage they have already done, as well as preventing further harm by installing clean mechanisms. Only after this can companies start financing separate projects. In contrast, the factories seem to care only about their image and not about actually improving the situation.”
“I can’t recall any special or innovative project that has implemented by a business. BP and Heidelberg are the only two companies distinguished in this field as they run small grant programmes. The most active figures in this field are the EU, the US Government, Dutch Government etc.”
“The main problem is that we don’t have adequate information about pollution. There is only one modern air monitoring station across the whole of Georgia, located in Tbilisi, which was installed several months ago. Control of water is very poor. The majority of woodland is also degraded because of illegal cutting. The process started in the ‘90s. There are up to 5,000 communities in Georgia and about 3,000 of them have a problem with waste processes. In short, the general situation is not at all satisfactory and all of this is being reflected in the health and welfare of the general population.”
“There are several big companies which are having a large impact on the environment. There were many factories during the Soviet Union which were seriously polluting nature. Some of those have even been functioning up till today without ever changing their equipment.
Legislation on protecting the environment is weakened and this has significantly supported the degradation of the country’s nature. The law doesn’t impose a big responsibility on business in terms of their protecting the environment. Economic development has been the main priority for the country for the past several years, and this has caused a lot of damage to the environment.
“Madneuli is one of the best examples of a large company that has been polluting the environment for several years. It is polluting the River Mashavera which runs through several counties. The population living on the river uses its water for agricultural purposes. Products grown there are then distributed to Tbilisi. So polluting the water causes huge health repercussions not only among the local but also the capital’s population.
“Factories in Chiatura and Zestaponi are big polluters as well. The methods and mechanisms of their operations are unacceptable by international standards. This pollution is invisible but is causing serious health problems. Therefore it is difficult to prove that the companies are the perpetrators of the increased rate of different diseases. Allergies and several types of cancer are now more widespread as a result.”
“Emissions should be strictly controlled. Standards have to be adapted to EU rules. Managing waste needs enormous changes as we don’t even have a strategy on what we want to do in this regard. There are only two landfills in the country that satisfy international standards. BP has taken responsibility for both; this is an internal requirement of the company.
Fines should be determined by legislation for any type of pollution.
The main cause of air pollution is the huge host of old vehicles which are still being driven. 80-90 percent of vehicles are not running properly or safely and are producing great amounts of emissions. A system of technical inspections needs to be developed. Georgians’ mentality has to change. It would be great if people were to focus more on smaller, eco-friendly cars and not buy large jeeps. The state could lead by example, by buying smaller cars. The Government could have only a couple of big cars for special occasions.
Bicycle lanes could be created but the development of small motorbikes is more realistic. This is a well-established practice in many countries.
