At the plenary session held on 16 May 2013 at the Parliament of Georgia, Ketevan Tsikhelashvili, First Deputy State Minister for Reintegration, stated in her speech that by moving the Parliament to Kutaisi, the former Georgian Government wanted to highlight the importance of the city. However, under the governance of the previous government, the water supply constituted a problematic issue in Kutaisi, a city with special status and importance.

Giorgi Tevdoradze, current MP and former Mayor of Kutaisi, addressed the statement by Ketevan Tsikhelashvili. According to the Member of the United National Movement, three years ago (in 2010), Kutaisi had water provision once every three days and the current water supply schedule is a step forward in terms of improving the issue of water supply.

FactCheck

decided to check the truth behind the statement by Ketevan Tsikhelashvili. Particularly, we wondered about the exact water supply schedule in Kutaisi.

Since 2010, the United Water Supply Company of Georgia has been ensuring drinking water supply for Kutaisi like for other urban areas. According to the information provided to FactCheck

by Inga Grigolia, Head of the Public Relations Office for the United Water Supply Company of Georgia, between the period of September 2012 until May 2013, 28% of Kutaisi residents have been supplied with water for 24 hours a day and 72% of the population in Kutaisi has water for at least five hours a day and a maximum of 12 hours a day. (Out of the 72% of residents, 16% has water for 12 hours a day, 7% for seven-to-eight hours a day and 49% for five hours a day).

The water supply schedule has improved in the Parliamentary capital city of Georgia over the last year. If in 2011 only 11% of  the population in Kutaisi had water for 24 hours a day and 83% of the  population was supplied with water for five-to-seven hours a day, this figure was lower in 2010. Back then, only 7% of residents in Kutaisi had drinking water for 24 hours a day and 93% were supplied with water for two-to-five hours a day.

The United Water Supply Company of Georgia does not hold any data prior to 2010 due to the fact that the company was founded in 2010. We contacted Kutaisi City Hall for obtaining data prior to 2010. Based on the information provided by the hotline operator, prior to 2009-2010 the city had water supply once every two or three days.

Conclusion According to the information checked by FactCheck,

Kutaisi, the second largest city in Georgia in terms of size and importance, has a scheduled water supply. Currently, residents of Kutaisi have drinking water for at least five hours a day.

During her statement about the limited water supply schedule in Kutaisi, the First Deputy State Minister for Reintegration neglects the improved dynamics of the water supply schedule over the past few years. Therefore, we rate the statement by Ketevan Tsikhelashvili: “The city of Kutaisi has water only for two hours per day” as HALF TRUE.