Description
Since signing the Association Agreement between Georgia and the European Union which entered into force on 1 July 2016, Georgia has been gradually implementing European Directives also in the field of water. The goal of the Water Framework Directive, 2000/60/EC, is reaching a good water status of all water bodies which is possible only by means of functional monitoring of water bodies and implementing effective measures to improve their status. One of water quality parameters is the content of heavy metals which, as environmental contaminants, come from industrial emissions, transport, agriculture, military premises from where they get into water. They are dangerous because they get accumulated in the environment and they toxically affect living organisms. Therefore, this project is focused on knowledge and experience transfer in decreasing the content of arsenic in natural waters, soil and food products as well as on possibilities to remove it from drinking waters in Georgia. In selected areas, Ambrolauri and Lentekhi, there is a high contamination caused by arsenic which has remained there after the Soviet Army left. The main objective of the project is the analysis of arsenic pollution of selected water bodies and design of technologies and measures for decreasing its content. This objective is interconnected with the following specific project objectives: investigation in the sphere of legislation, technical equipment and personal capacities for heavy metals monitoring, mainly arsenic, in Georgia water bodies, mapping the status quo based on selected localities and designing measures for arsenic content decrease and its removal from drinking water. Project outcomes will be presented to the representatives of local authorities during seminars to introduce suggested measure into practice. Project ambition is the knowledge transfer on occurrence and possible decrease of arsenic content in waters and selected pilot areas in Georgia which will contribute to meeting objectives of the Association Agreement.