The Nenskra HPP implementing company is starting financing various projects in Svaneti. The Memorandum on Co-operation between Nenskra Hydro and Mestia Municipality has already been signed. Infrastructural projects will be financed as well as development of social production, implementation of cultural and educational projects will be supported. The memorandum is for 4 years and the investment will be defined on a stage-by-stage basis, depending on the needs of Chuberi and Nakra. Projects for financing will be selected in close communication with the population. Namely, a population survey will reveal the problems that the local population is facing.
The projects envisaged by the memorandum are only a small part of the projects that will be implemented within the framework of Nenskra HPP accompanying investment project, the so-called Community Development Program. The above investment project involves in the first place support of small and medium business development in Mestia Municipality villages Chuberi and Nakra, financing of vocational education and small infrastructural projects. Nenskra Hydro already started working in this direction in 2017, for instance the beds of Nakra River two tributaries have been cleaned for the purpose of flood prevention.
About the details of the memorandum, BM.ge talked to Kapiton Zhorzholiani, the Mayor of Mestia Municipality.
Specifically what is included into the Memorandum on Cooperation concluded between Nenskra HPP Project implementing company and the municipality and what will be its effect for Chuberi and Nakra population?
For about two years, we’ve been studying problems of the population. The survey revealed the village population problems. There were quite a lot of individual problems. To make sure that the funds are properly spent and the population gets the proper result, we signed the memorandum. The memorandum involves three parties: population, Nenskra HPP Project Implementing Company and us. Of course, the starting point is the population. We are going to be the conductor to convey the problems of the population to the company. We, in our turn, take over the responsibility of conducting research and designing projects. We want the process to be public and not fit to somebody’s interests.
What are the main problems that the Svaneti population is presently facing?
In the first place, this is water supply, sanitation and roads. This is a problem for the whole Svaneti, apart from Mestia Town and Ushguli. We are focusing on tourist development since both Nakra and Chuberi have great potential with this regard. The first Georgian Tetri Treasury was located in Chuberi. The first Georgian Tetri dates back to V-III millennium BC. Part of coins dating back to the times of Alexander the Great have been found in Chuberi. Since Chuberi was the cradle of such a civilization, it is an interesting destination for tourists. The Nenskra HPP Project Implementing Company retrained the population to make them able to arrange guest houses. Besides we revealed problems related to public places like gyms and kindergartens. A multifunctional administrative building will be constructed which will host a house of culture, an outpatient ward, library and an attorney office to allow the community meet the attorney. We are also planning internetization of Svaneti. Internetization has already started in Mtatusheti and we hope that Svaneti will be the next.
As we know, the project includes educational programs as well. What exactly is foreseen and for whom will these be accessible?
Nakra and Chuberi population will be the beneficiaries; however, it is possible that neighboring communities will also benefit from this. We are planning to employee the local population for the construction. The Company takes over the responsibility for their retraining. In Mestia, we have a vocational educational center. Part of trainings will take place in this center and part maybe held in Zugdidi center.
Development of social enterprises is also planned. In which direction do you see the potential in the above villages for this kind of development?
We have enormous resources, for example we see the potential in tea processing, cane fruit and waste, so that we can recycle construction material. We are also thinking about supporting other cultural production. We still have to work a lot with the population to convince them. If the population is not willing to do something, none of this will work. We will create a group of employable people from the population. Svaneti is on the right track of development and it keeps on developing. The number of tourist routes and tourists is increasing in the region.
In your opinion, to what extend will the construction of Nenskra HPP facilitate economic growth of the region?
I have been for construction of Nenskra HPP prom the very begging. Municipalities of Georgia have been dependent upon released transfers and accordingly we depend upon the state treasure. The completed Nenskra HPP will contribute to the budget of Mestia Municipality 12 mln GEL annually in the form of property tax. Today our budget is 7 mln GEL. Small HPPs and Nenskra paid 2 mln GEL as a property tax only last year. Local government will have an opportunity to implement projects in different villages. For instance, every person from our municipality admitted in a university will get co-financing from us for the first year of studies.
