Organization for Security and Co-operation in EuropeSecretariat - Conflict Prevention Centre
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Reinforcing the Zonkari Dam
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The OSCE is addressing water problems in the areas affected by the August 2008 conflict in Georgia through a series of projects. One of these projects aims at restoring the capacity to regulate the level of water in the Zonkari reservoir. The infrastructure was under Georgian control until the August 2008 conflict. Since then, it has been operated from Tskhinvali.
Years of tension in the area have prevented essential maintenance. The mechanical parts of the dam do not work as they should, presenting a potential threat to those living downstream.
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Photo 1 of 9The Zonkari dam stores 40 million cubic meters of water for irrigation purposes, 27 May 2011. (OSCE/Emmanuel Anquetil) -
Photo 2 of 9The dam is 71 metres high and 900 metres long, 27 May 2011. (OSCE/Emmanuel Anquetil) -
Photo 3 of 9As the outlets no longer work properly, during the flood season the water reaches the emergency spillway, 27 May 2011. (OSCE/Emmanuel Anquetil) -
Photo 4 of 9A view of the service outlet of the Zonkari Dam, 12 July 201. The right wing of the outlet is damaged and requires urgent repairs. (OSCE/Emmanuel Anquetil) -
Photo 5 of 9Werner Johannides (left), an independent expert from Austria, and Konstantin Predein, a hydro-mechanical engineer, assess the repair work to be done, 12 July 2011. Predein, from Tbilisi, worked on the design of the mechanical parts of the Zonkari Dam in the mid-1980s. His knowledge of the Dam is crucial for the rehabilitation project and his involvement adds a real confidence-building component to the project. (OSCE/Emmanuel Anquetil) -
Photo 6 of 9The main gantry crane on the dam crest, 12 July 2011. This crane is used to operate two bottom outlet gates, each of which weights 80 tons. One of the gates has been in a closed position for years, several attempts to lift it having failed. (OSCE/Emmanuel Anquetil) -
Photo 7 of 9The Zonkari damn is in urgent need of repair, following years of neglect, 12 July 2011. (OSCE/Emmanuel Anquetil) -
Photo 8 of 9A powerful jet of water, released from the Zonkari dam, 12 July 2011. (OSCE/Emmanuel Anquetil) -
Photo 9 of 9A component of the Zonkari dam heaves under the pressure of escaping water, 12 July 2011. (OSCE/Emmanuel Anquetil)
