Fissure in Tbilisi slopes poses risk of landslide
A road connecting two residential areas of Tbilisi – Vashlijvri and Nutsubidze – is being monitored for landslide risks following the discovery of a fissure on slopes in the Georgian capital.
Huge masses of earth may collapse on the road connecting the two residential areas. Construction works are underway at the site which are carried out using heavy equipment, however, according to the mayor’s office, they do not pose a danger to the slope.
Photos of the danger zone appeared on the forum.ge on March 17. The images show that the landslide process on the slope has alread y been activated.
Half a million cubic meters of earth has shifted.
“The earth may descend tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or in a year, but it will definitely come down. Where and how – the issue of modeling, it needs to be assessed,” said Geologist Tea Godoladze, director of the National Center for Seismological Monitoring.
According to her, geologists and surveyors who have already made the initial assessment have come to the conclusion that cracks in the slope are the result of improper intervention in the environment. And, most likely, a landslide cannot be avoided.
The danger exists both in the immediate vicinity of the landslide and in other areas, since the support system is also broken there, said geomorphologist Lasha Sukhishvili.
“The speed of the landslide is still unclear. This can take years. But, for example, due to heavy rain or some vibrations, the process may speed up a little,” said Sukhishvili.
“The process has been going on for years and it has nothing to do with road works”, Tbilisi City Hall says.
The mayor’s office has already invited German specialists to study this issue, Kaladze said:
“The reasons are still unknown. It didn’t start today. And this is an ongoing process for many years. As soon as we realized that there was a danger, we took preventive measures. Matchavariani street is closed, traffic is prohibited on it”.
Video – TV Formula
