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Otar Shamugia: "The state will carry out a preliminary feasibility study for constructing the Ilto reservoir."
According to the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Mr. Otar Shamugia, a technical and economic study will be launched regarding constructing an irrigation water reservoir on the Ilto River in the Akhmeta Municipality, Kakheti region.
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"We observe that against the backdrop of climate change, there is a significant water shortage in the rivers, including the Alazani River, especially in July-August, during the drought period. The approach of the whole world is to take appropriate steps in this direction to accumulate water resources and build appropriate reservoirs.Â
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Therefore, we started investigating the possibility of constructing a sufficient reservoir on the Ilto River to service around 40 thousand hectares of land in the upper and lower Alazni irrigation systems. If the reservoir is constructed, it can offer a guaranteed water supply to these communities during future droughts, and it will be a historical project; nevertheless, the feasibility study (technical-economic studies, including environmental protection) will be undertaken first, and a decision concerning construction will be made based on the research results.
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The reservoir building in this area began in the 1980s but was halted following the well-known events of the 1990s. Some work has been completed. At the time, the proposal called for building a reservoir with a capacity of around 80 million cubic meters; however, in light of current realities, all of the above must be thoroughly investigated. We are commencing this research," said Minister Shamugia.