Tbilisi mayor claims 110mm of rain caused overnight flooding

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze said on Tuesday that 110mm of rain fell within five hours near Tbilisi State University overnight, causing flooding in several parts of the Georgian capital.

Speaking at a meeting of the Tbilisi City Hall government, Kaladze said the heaviest rainfall was recorded in the Varaziskhevi area near Tbilisi State University, describing it as a "dangerous meteorological event" due to its intensity.

"One hundred and ten millimetres of rainfall is a very large amount. That is why there were problems in specific streets and neighbourhoods," he said.

He added the worst-affected locations included the intersection of Tamarashvili Avenue and University Street, Guramishvili Avenue, the Right Embankment of the Mtkvari River, the area surrounding the Goodwill hypermarket in Didi Digomi and Eristavi Street.

Kaladze said all relevant City Hall services, together with the Interior Ministry, the Patrol Police and the Emergency Management Service, had been mobilised throughout the night to clear flooded areas and restore normal conditions. He thanked municipal workers, including employees of Tbilservice Group and district administrations, for their response.

The mayor said clean-up operations had continued into Tuesday, with crews removing debris and restoring affected streets.

Kaladze acknowledged that Tbilisi continues to face longstanding infrastructure challenges, particularly ageing underground utility networks and the absence of stormwater drainage systems in some parts of the city.

"When an unusually large amount of rain falls within a very short period, similar incidents occur not only in Tbilisi but also in many major European cities," he said, adding that such events did not diminish the need to improve the capital's infrastructure.

He said City Hall had prioritised upgrading underground engineering infrastructure before carrying out road rehabilitation projects since 2017, arguing that previous administrations had often rebuilt roads without replacing ageing utility networks.

Kaladze also criticised what he described as attempts to politicise the flooding, saying the city's priority was to resolve problems rather than engage in political disputes.

The mayor added that Tbilisi's 24-hour hotline remained operational and said the municipality would assist residents whose basements, courtyards and other properties had been damaged by the flooding. He acknowledged that modernising the city's drainage network would require substantial investment and would be carried out gradually.