Otar Shamugia: Unfortunately, we could not avoid the Shovi tragedy - it is important, together with the causes of the disaster, to determine exactly what should happen in the future in the valley

According to the initial conclusion, the events were so immediate and complex that it would be practically impossible to prevent them even in the most developed countries, said the Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture Otar Shamugia regarding the disaster that took place in Shovi on August 3.

As he told journalists after the Government meeting, according to the preliminary assessment of specialists, the complex events that caused the flood developed within 8-10 minutes.

According to him, the information that the Chanchakhi river was dammed up two days before the disaster is false.

In addition, Otar Shamugia urged the politicians not to insult the specialists who are investigating this issue with their statements, because they are professionals and do important work for the country.

"It is a day of mourning in Georgia, and I want to extend my condolences to the families of all the victims. Unfortunately, we could not avoid this tragedy. We have provided the public with the initial assessment of specialists. I would like to thank the specialists of the National Environment Agency for their 24-hour work. They were able to make a preliminary conclusion in a fairly short time. Unfortunately, today we heard statements from various politicians as if these people had completed the order. I request everyone to refrain from such statements, because these people are professionals. They were able to make a conclusion in a very short time, they are doing their job. The agency will, of course, continue its work and research. It is important, together with the causes of the disaster, to talk about further goals to be implemented and to determine exactly what should happen in the future in this valley.

I would like to provide the public with the important details that have been determined by the preliminary assessment. The disaster started when the rocky mass collapsed. It then collided with the glacier, some of it collapsed, followed by landslides, and everything turned into a landslide. According to the specialists' conclusion, all this happened within 8-10 minutes of the disaster. Talking about the two-day damming of the river is wrong information. There is a hydrological station on the Chanchakhi river, from which, according to the data, there was no difference in the water level of the river before the disaster and during the disaster. Based on this, experts say that there could not be any kind of long-term damming there.

Also, it is important that, according to the initial conclusion, these events were so immediate and complex that it would have been practically impossible to prevent them even in the most developed countries. I think that first of all, this conclusion should be evaluated by all specialists. I call on the politicians not to insult with their statements those people who are doing very important work for our country within the scope of their competence," said Otar Shamugia.