Shukruti, GEORGIA – Three hours away from the capital Tbilisi, Shukruti is a village, near the Soviet industrial town of Chiatura, which is famous for its manganese mining.
For decades, residents have demanded compensation for their falling houses from Georgian Manganese, a mining company in Chiatura.
The residents of the Shukruti village – who number about 500 – get little attention from authorities. Many have lost their homes and the rest fear the same fate.
“We are ignored by everyone. Nobody listens to our claims,” said Nani Chitadze, a homemaker and lifelong resident who one of those protesting against the mining and its impact.
“For years, we have continued to protest, but there have been no responses,” Chitadze said. “The government has taken our homes, leaving us with nothing.”
In the images above: At left, Nani Chitadze is actively participating in the protest. At right, a crumbling house in Shukruti last month. (Nicolo Vincenzo Malvestuto/YJI)
In the images above: At left, activist and former miner Omari Gaprindashvili. At right, the ground in Shukruti is collapsing over time because of the mining. (Nicolo Vencenzo Malvestuto/YJI)
Growing unrest
Protests began in February, when villagers erected tents blocking the entrance of the Georgian Manganese mine. In an effort to raise alarms about the environmental and health threats posed by mining, locals are taking turns to ensure a continuous presence to prevent the company from continuing to mine in the village.
Some protesters also went on a hunger strike that lasted more than a month. Local Georgian media reported that the hunger strikes ended Oct. 13.
Although this isn’t their first time taking such strong action, the hunger strikers had hoped that their protest would have an impact as Georgians prepare to vote in the October 26 parliamentary election.
Afterward villagers blocked the entrance to the mine, the company made a legal claim against the villagers and their houses ended up being seized by the government.
In the images above: At left, villagers received a court ruling in the company’s favor and called for the seizure of their homes. At right, Iuri Neparidze, a former miner from the village of Shukruti, lost his job after he filed a complaint. (Nicolo Vincenzo Malvestuto/YJI)
The Georgian Manganese company continues to perform the work, and amid the environmental disaster caused by mining, residents worry about the ground collapsing and their houses failing, which they say they experience on a daily basis.
Omari Gaprindashvili, an 83-year-old from Shukruti, once worked as miner. He knows well the working system which the mining company uses daily to obtain the minerals, namely manganese. He’s among the villagers who protest and fears the environmental disaster caused by mining.
“Terrain moves daily, especially in winter when the ground is heavy due to water pressure, and is more risky to live on during this period,” said Gaprindashvili. “Even houses lost the foundation over time. My house and my village is more important than the money we earn from this dangerous work.”
Manganese is used in steel production and in batteries, among other products.
In the images above: At left, activist and former miner Omari Gaprindashvili. At right, Tamazi Neparidze has repeatedly urged authorities to recognize the dire threat facing his community. (Nicolo Vincenzo Malvestuto/YJI)
Romani Megrelishvili said he was fired from his job at Georgian Manganese as soon as he began protesting and demanding compensation from the company for a damaged house.
A miner’s monthly salary ranges from 1,500 to 2,500 Georgian lari, or $550 to $900 U.S. dollars, which is not enough to cover living costs.
It’s not enough, Megrelishvilli said, “for a miner risking a life whole day. You go down to the mine without knowing if you will get back alive or not.”
Another former miner, Iuri Neparidze, lost his job after filing a complaint that his home was crumbling. He joined the rest of the village protesting Georgian Manganese company. Without his mining job, he now works as a taxi driver in the town.
During his free time, Neparidze joins other protesters in front of the blocked mine.
Silence from the mining company
Locals said they suspect that the company has close ties to the government for its corrupt practices.
The Georgian Manganese company did not respond to Youth Journalism International’s attempts for comment for this story.
Although the company states on its website, “One of our priorities is to solve the ecological problems accumulated over decades and to restore the soils that have been unsystematically disturbed due to the peculiarities of mining,” there is no mention of the village of Shukruti or the collapsing homes.
Multiple emails seeking comment went unreturned by the Georgian Manganese company. The company’s press office did not respond to a phone call.
Protests continue in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital. In Shukruti, locals are not expected to cease their protests until the Georgian government offers help to stop their houses from falling.
Tamazi Neparidze is one of many villagers who have repeatedly urged authorities to recognize the dire threat facing their community. It’s not just their homes at risk, but their very lives, they said.
Neparidze has managed to make minor repairs to his house over time, but the foundation is nearly compromised.
“We live on an atomic bomb; it could explode at any moment and wipe everything out,” he warns.
The compensation villagers got from the mining company in recent years was not enough to cover the caused damage, they said, nor enough to provide for the cost of living.
Georgian election offers a choice
Next week, Georgian voters will choose either a path toward the Kremlin or toward Europe in the country’s national election.
For most Georgians – including the exhausted villagers in the sinking mining town – everyday concerns like jobs and basic needs take priority over the geopolitical struggle between the European Union and Russia.
The mining town was once the primary source of income for the locals until the onset of protests. After that, the company began terminating villagers for their involvement.
The Georgian Manganese company launched its mining operations at one of the local sites in 2021, with an initial timeline for completion set for one year.
According to plans displayed on a banner at the mining site, restoration work was to begin within four months of halting operations.
But it appears that the company continued its mining activities, effectively sealing off access to the work area, even after months of protests from the community.
In line with earlier statements made by the company in 2021, 36 families were offered a total compensation of 2,300,000 Georgian Lari, or about $853,400 U.S. dollars.
But many see this as a deceptive tactic to buy time while continuing mining operations.
The village’s last hope lies in the upcoming elections, believing that a change in government could bring new life and opportunities to their home.
Nicolo Vincenzo Malvestuto is a Senior Reporter with Youth Journalism International.
