The cause of unprecedented sea pollution in Batumi was the predatory extraction of sand and gravel from the rivers that feed it. This opinion was expressed by Archil Guchmanidze, Doctor of Biological Sciences and ichthyologist.
After heavy rains on September 19-20 in Adjara, mountain rivers overflowed their banks, landslides intensified, roads and bridges were damaged, and residential buildings were flooded. When the storm subsided, the stormy sea off the coast of Batumi resembled a boiling mudflow.
“I don’t remember the sea ever being like this. I’ve seen much stronger storms and much more debris on the shore, but the sea has never been this murky,” Guchmanidze wrote on his Facebook page.
According to him, in areas where rivers do not flow into the sea, the water turbidity level reached 2560 NTU, which is comparable to lethal levels for most coastal ecosystems. He said that such levels had not been recorded “anywhere in the Black Sea” even after the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam was blown up in June 2023.
“The damage to the biodiversity of the coast is catastrophic. This is not only the result of rains and storms — rains and storms, much stronger ones, have always been and will always be — this is the result of predatory and reckless extraction of sand and gravel from virtually all rivers feeding the sea. This must be stopped before it is too late!” Guchmanidze noted.