“Glaciers are one of the country’s most important natural assets; however, in the context of global climate change, they are also associated with natural hazards-a reality that was painfully reminded to all of us by the Shovi tragedy a few years ago,” Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said during a meeting with Daniel Tobler of GEOTEST, regarding the results of research into glacial valleys.

The Swiss GEOTEST expert, with whom a contract was signed in 2024 to study natural hazards in glacial valleys, presented the study findings to the Prime Minister today.

According to the Government Administration, the Prime Minister thanked the Swiss and Georgian experts for their work carried out as part of the glacial valley study and emphasized GEOTEST’s outstanding global experience in assessing similar risks and providing relevant recommendations.

A study of this scale, under which risks were assessed in 22 glacial valleys across the country, has been conducted in Georgia for the first time in its history. The findings indicate that there is no immediate threat; however specific geographical areas have been identified where challenges exist and where the installation of modern monitoring systems is necessary for effective risk management.

The process of installing monitoring systems will begin this year and will be implemented in stages. To ensure coordination, a governmental coordination mechanism will be established within the Government Administration, bringing together all relevant agencies, which will be responsible for managing the process in line with their respective competencies.