Opposition supports protesters against Namakhvan HPP construction

Residents of Kutaisi and Lentekhi and oppositional politicians have joined Namakhvani villagers, who keep protesting for almost a month against the construction of a hydroelectric power plant (HPP) on the Rioni River.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Namakhvani villagers have long been protesting against the HPP construction on the Rioni. They believe that the HPP will change weather conditions and result in crop failures and starvation. On November 15, a protest action ended in a clash with the police.

Several hundred people took part in the above protest against HPP on the Rioni River. The action was held in front of the administration building of the ENKA Turkish Construction Company, the "Sputnik-Georgia" reports.

Georgian oppositionists have joined the protesting Namakhvani villagers. Lasha Chkhartishvili, a member of the Labour Party, has stated that such a large HPP should not be built in the Rioni River Gorge, since it is a seismically active zone, where, moreover, there is a high probability of landslides. Townspeople of Kutaisi and Lentekhi also came to support the protesters.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 23, 2020 at 03:49 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.