Construction of a new regional office of the National Environmental Agency has started in Batumi
Aquaculture
The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture Mr. Levan Davitashvili, together with the Head of Government of Adjara Mr. Tornike Rizhvadze and staff of the National Environmental Agency visited the site where the construction of a new office building has begun.
“Regional office of the National Environmental Agency had been functioning in terrible conditions. This is a very important unit, which needs development, strengthening and our support. The work has been going on for several years for the selection of the project and allocation of the area, which was done with the support from the Government of Adjara. Today we started construction of a new infrastructure, which will allow us to conduct important studies in a modern laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment. Maintaining the Black Sea ecosystem is a top priority and part of our commitment to the European Union. The Ministry will continue to invest in this direction, support the employees and train young staff in order to protect the largest resource - the Black Sea and its ecology" - said the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture Mr. Levan Davitashvili.
The new three-storey building will house the important structural units of the National Environmental Agency, such as the Department of Fishery, Aquaculture and Water Biodiversity, the Batumi Laboratory of the Environmental Pollution Monitoring Department and the Adjara Regional Hydrometeorological Observatory. Ambient air, water and soil analysis, microbiological, hydrobiological and ichthyological laboratories will be arranged in accordance with international standards, which will be equipped with state-of-the-art devices and infrastructure needed for the specific researches. Experienced staff of the National Environmental Agency, who are working today in a fully depreciated building, will benefit from the new, international standard infrastructure.
The total cost of the project is 1,300,000 GEL. The total area of the building is 1,872 square meters.
According to the Head of the Government of Adjara, Mr. Tornike Rizhvadze, the modern infrastructure of the National Environmental Agency’s regional office will improve working conditions of the employees and will contribute to the protection of the Black Sea ecology and security.
"Today is a really important day. The new infrastructure we have started to build will help us to maintain our existing scientific and research potential and further strengthen it in the future. Once the construction is completed, the National Environmental Agency will be able to deepen international cooperation with the Black Sea basin countries in the scientific field, support the development of aquaculture and strengthen the monitoring of the Black Sea," - said Andro Aslanishvili, Head of the National Environmental Agency.
The new infrastructure of the regional office of the National Environmental Agency will significantly contribute to the strengthening of institutional capacity in the field of environment, which will be reflected in the fulfillment of the obligations under the Association Agreement between the EU and Georgia. These commitments include the implementation of the principles of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), which aims to protect the Black Sea from pollution, to preserve marine biodiversity and to use marine biological resources in a sustainable way.
