From the Caucasus to Russia: Why this road? 27 April 2020

...Although its impact was almost unstudied and the promoters had failed to properly inform and communicate with the locals, international banks still allocated funds for this road...

Locals of Khada are asking for the highway to avoid the valley. They have collected signatures, held protests and submitted letters to the ADB and EBRD, asking for help. In August 2019, a few days after Khadians had sent a letter to the ADB, the bank announced the loan approval.

Khadians said they will not give their lands for anything. They do not want to lose their ancestral  areas and are concerned that noise and air pollution will increase. The impact threatens healthy village crops and tourism opportunities.  Expected forced economic resettlement poses risks to incomes. And last but not least, the project is dangerous: geologists warn that the tunnel could pass areas with risk for volcanic activity.

In the struggle to protect the areas, some of the locals have said they have been refused by state agencies to register their traditional properties around the road area. Meanwhile, the project does not include a socio-economic baseline assessment on how it affects the population in terms of land acquisition or restrictions on land use. It does not identify social impacts, needs and rights of affected communities...

Khada Valley is a biodiversity hotspot in the Greater Caucasus. As the greenfield project crosses the Kazbegi national park and a number of Emerald sites, the Kvesheti-Kobi road will heavily impact its landscape and biodiversity...