Georgia completes first nationwide glacier risk assessment, officials say no immediate threat identified

Georgia has completed its first nationwide study assessing risks in glacier valleys, with findings indicating no immediate danger, government officials said following a presentation by Swiss experts.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Friday made the remarks during a meeting with Daniel Tobler, an expert from Swiss company GEOTEST, which conducted the study on natural hazards in glacier valleys under a contract signed in 2024.

“Glaciers are one of our country’s most important natural assets. However, in the context of global climate change, they are also associated with natural risks, something the tragedy in Shovi painfully reminded us of a few years ago,” Kobakhidze said.

GEOTEST presented the study’s findings to the prime minister, outlining the results of a large-scale assessment carried out across 22 glacier valleys nationwide. According to the Government Administration, this was the first study of its scale ever conducted in Georgia.

The findings indicated that there is no immediate threat, but specific geographic areas have been identified where challenges and risks exist, requiring the installation of modern monitoring systems to support effective risk management.

Kobakhidze thanked both Swiss and Georgian experts for their work and highlighted GEOTEST’s international experience in assessing glacier-related hazards and providing risk mitigation recommendations.

According to the Government Administration, the installation of monitoring systems will begin this year and be carried out in phases. A government coordination mechanism will be established within the Administration to oversee the process, bringing together all relevant agencies responsible for implementation within their respective mandates.

Environment Protection and Agriculture Minister Davit Songulashvili described the research as unprecedented in scale for Georgia, noting that it was conducted by a highly qualified international company with joint participation from Swiss and Georgian experts.

“What is particularly important is that the study found no immediate threat. The next steps include installing monitoring systems and implementing various preventive measures,” Songulashvili said, adding that monitoring systems will be installed over the next two years, after which further actions will be determined based on the results.

Head of the Government Administration Levan Zhorzholiani also confirmed that the GEOTEST study concluded there is no immediate or direct danger. He said that installing monitoring systems was a key element of risk management and prevention, a task to be carried out by the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture.

Zhorzholiani added that the government coordination mechanism will unite all relevant agencies to ensure effective oversight and implementation of the measures.