Water Resources of Georgia
Last updated: July, 2004

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General Information:  The total stream of Georgian rivers are - 65,8 km3 . On average on 1 km2 is formed 820 thousand km3 of the water per year. In West Georgia 1340 thousand m3 on 1 km2, in East Georgia - 37- thousand m3 on 1 km2. On one resident in West Georgia comes 19 thousand m3 on 1 square km, in East Georgia 5 thousand m3, so nearly less than four times. In West Georgia on each level of the development of industry satisfy the nature stream. In East Georgia by the 201 in the drought years the water resources will be used or 75%, that can be followed by hard ecological results.

© ICFER River Tskhenistskali

Drinking water supply Here are about 1600 water-supplies functioning providing with drinking water population of towns and rural regions. A total of 620 mln.m3 of drinking water is given to population every year.
Largest rivers: Mtkvari ( 188000 km2), river Chorokhi (22130 km2), river Rioni (13900 km2), river Alazani (12000 km2).The largest rivers about the water are: Rioni (12,6 km3 per year), Mtkvari (7,2 km3 per year), Chorokhi ( 8,9 km3 per year), Inguri (5,9 km3 per year), Kodori (4,1 km3 per year), Alazani ( 3,1 km3 per year)     

© ICFER  r. Mtkvari

© ICFER  r. Chorokhi

© ICFER Enguri P/ S

© ICFER  Mashavera

© ICFER r.Rioni
         

Municipal sewerage It is the dominant polluter of surface water by organic compounds (BOD), nitrogen and phosphate compounds.

The following rivers are most polluted by municipal sewerage: the Rioni river down Kutaisi city and within the Poti town limits; the Black Sea at the coastline of Ajara and Abkhazia.

The hot spots of  industrial discharges: River Kvirila  is polluted by oil products and manganese ions (ferrous metal industry); the Rioni river and its tributary the Ogaskura river down Kutaisi city are polluted by oil products, zinc and copper ions (chemical industry, chemical-mining industry, mechanical engineering industry, electrical industry);   the Tkibula river down Tkibuli town is polluted by suspended solids (coal-mining industry);  the Lukhumi river (Ambrolauri region) is polluted by arsenic ions (chemical-mining industry); -the Kubistskali river.

The amount of water used by the industry has always been relatively small compared to domestic use, and due to the economic crises decreased from a total of 1,542 million m3/year in 1985 to an estimated 258 million m3/year by 1996.

Monitoring

There is a dense hydro meteorological monitoring system which covers all surface waters in Georgia operated by Hydro meteorological Department. Now this Department is part of the Ministry of Environment.

Because of financial and economical difficulties the data of surface water monitoring is very poor .

There exists a dense hydrometeorological monitoring system which covers all surface waters in Georgia operated by the Hydrometeorological Department, Ministry of Environment.  In the past, surface water quality was measured at 91 stations and at 133 sampling locations. Hydrometeorological samples in the Mtkvari river basin were taken from 31 river-locations, 5 lakes and reservoirs, in the Black Sea basin from 43 river-locations, 1 lake and 1 reservoir.

 

Standardized analysis of water samples on 56 physiochemical parameters has been established in 1976. The information output of these stations has been poor for the last four years. In 1994-1996 samples were taken only from 15 sampling locations. Regular sampling takes place within the city-limits of Tbilisi and Kutaisi only.

 Bacteriological monitoring is carried out by the Ministry of Health, where a different observation network is used.

 

 

References: NBSSAP, NEAP, Hydrometeorological Department of the Ministry of Environment, ICFER
©International Center for Environmental Research   

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