Georgia was hit by natural gas and power shortages amid freezing
temperatures again yesterday as work progressed slowly to repair a
pipeline from Russia that had been attacked at the weekend.
Most homes in the capital of this ex-Soviet republic were
without gas as overnight temperatures fell as low as -10oC.
Long lines appeared in the capital Tbilisi as people queued up
to fill kerosene canisters for portable heaters and people were
selling jewellery and other valuables at pawn shops to buy new
heaters and fuel.
In response to the crisis, President Mikhail Saakashvili cut
short a visit to the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland,
the president's office said.
The country's problems were compounded by power cuts across
Tbilisi and the rest of eastern Georgia overnight.
Georgian Deputy Energy Minister Alexander Khetaguri said that
the power problems had been caused by snowstorms that hit a major
east-west power line.
"Two major accidents struck Georgia's energy system overnight….
The reasons are being investigated," Pantsulaya said.
Meanwhile, residents struggled to heat their homes by other
means, creating a roaring trade in gas cylinders and imported
kerosene burners.
Repairs to the Mozdok-Tbilisi pipeline from Russia that was
attacked and blown up on Sunday were continuing, but engineers
discovered further damage that required replacement of an
additional pipeline section, said an official with Russia's Gazprom
energy giant.
The Russian prosecutor's office had said on Wednesday that the
explosions that occurred just inside Russian territory in the
Caucasus Mountains were a result of terrorism.
The disruption caused by the pipeline attacks was compounded by
an additional attack on a main power cable bringing electricity
from Russia to Georgia.
Tensions between the two countries were increased by the "rose
revolution" in late 2003 that brought Saakashvili to power,
promising a new pro-Western course.
Weather proves deadly
Freezing weather has killed scores of people in Eastern Europe
and snowstorms forced the closure of the Acropolis in Athens and
blanketed parts of Sicily and Turkey as the Arctic air pushed
south.
Ukraine said 66 people had died there since the freeze set in
last week. Neighboring Russia has asked it to restrict gas usage as
demand has rocketed during the coldest winter in a generation in
the region.
The Romanian Health Ministry said extremely low temperatures in
the country had caused 27 deaths in the past three days.
In a statement it said the victims, ranging in age between 33
and 86, died of heart attacks and hypothermia caused by
temperatures of about -20oC. Seven of them were homeless.
Ten people froze to death or died of burns while trying to keep
warm in the Czech Republic in recent days after temperatures fell
below -30oC, media said.
The bitter cold has spread to the far south of Europe, regions
which normally enjoy milder winters.
(China Daily January 27, 2006)
