Project number: AR/121/9-180/13

Project title: Creation of a Basin Management System of Kakhetian Water Resources

Funding organization: Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia

Start and end dates: 04.04.2014-04.04.2016

Principal investigator: Vakhtang Geladze

Key personnel: Vakhtang Geladze, Nana Bolashvili, Tamaz Karalashvili, Nino Machavariani, Davit Kartvelishvili, Nino Chikhradze, Giorgi Geladze

Project Summary: Water is a vital element of our environmental essential for existence of all living species human beings inclusive. It is true that this precious “first priority resource of the 21st century” is renewable one, but in case of improper use it may become entirely useless. Any earthwork, cutting or planting of forests and windbreak strips are directly connected with the change of territory water balance structure.
Kakheti region has been selected to carry out the research. The area of the region is 12200 km2. Region is reach    in fertile and pasture lands. It is the country's leading viticulture region.   It occupies the Iori and Alazani river basins and is notable for its deficit of water resources in the country.  Hydro-meteorological observations begin since 20s of the twentieth century. In the territory of kakheti about 40 hydrometeorological stations were functioning. Today only one station is functioning   (the Alazani River – Station Shakriani). Its observation period starts since 1925. In the other stations the observation row is of 25-30 years. There are more than 2000 rivers there, but their majority (95%) are up to 10 km long. The density of rivers network is 0,45 km/km2. During low water periods the rivers runoff is often below the ecological norm.  Water resources of the region are used irrationally.  The region tends to desertification which aggravate fresh water problem even more and presumably may lead to migration of local population from the area.
According to the forecast  (The 2nd National Communication, 2009), at the end of  21st century in the southern part of Kakheti it is expected decrease of hydrothermal coefficient from 1,1 to 0,7, which will shift the region’s climate from subtropics into very dry category. The influence will be spread along the entire territory of Kakheti. On the background of current climate change for mitigation and adaptation to the mentioned process, one of the real active measures is to move to manageable water consumption for the purposes of rational use of water resources.

On that basis and from the management point of view water resources of Kakheti region are the important and interesting to proceed to the controlled use of water and to estimate water deficit or excess accord ing to its requirements.

The purpose of study is to create geographical information system (GIS) of Kakheti water resources which will be used in future as a basis for introduction of contemporary water resources management technique.

Achieved results: The geographic information system of Kakheti water resources was created based on the 1:200000 scale topographic map of Georgia. Data and information from various literary sources and foundation materials (from periodicals of the National Environment Agency, National Statistics Service, etc.) were collected and loaded into the databases. Field studies were conducted in all municipalities of the region in order to clarify and update the data available in the literature and the state of irrigation systems. Meetings were organized both with the governor of the municipality and heads of individual services, as well as with the local population. A sociological survey of the population was conducted. The research was focused mainly on the survey of persons engaged in agricultural activities, because one of the tasks of the research was to outline the problems in the water consumption of irrigation water. However, people who only use communal and drinking water also took part in the research. One of the tasks of the research was the assessment of drinking water quality. The results of the research confirm that there is an acute shortage of drinking and irrigation water in the villages of Kakheti.