Catastrophic Debrisflow in Dariali (Georgia) in the Year 2014

Abstract

River Tergi, Aragvi and Asa-Arghuni, which occupy significant area of mountainous region of central Caucasus, by its geographic location, strategic meaning, peculiarities of natural landscape and infrastructural objects (Trans-Caucasian highway, gas pipeline, water supply of the capital, Gudauri ski-mountainous complex) minerals, historic-ethnographic monuments, opportunities for development of mountainous tourism and mountaineering, where more important engineering projects are being planned; all the above give perspective of development of economic base, employment of the population and restoration of motivated villages, more over that the major part of their perimeter represents state border. At the same time, extremely complex relief, landscape-climatic conditions and sensitive geologic environment have been always defining peculiarities of settlement of population and agricultural activities and determining landscape-ecologic balance of geographic environment. However, whereas amount of land for optimal adaptation is extremely limited, its irregular adaptation causes critical degradation-devastation of lands. Consequently, this causes development of scaled and diverse geologic processes (land-slides, debrisflow, erosion, etc.), which have been complicated anyway and are followed by enormous material loss, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes, emptying if tens of villages and human sacrifice. The article considers conditions of development of a catastrophic debrisflow, which occurred in Dariali in the year 2014 and its negative consequences.