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The Geographical Dimension of the Tragedy \u2013 What the Geologists Say<\/h3>\n
The tragedy of Ghv’erki and Khemaghali was not a sudden, lightning-fast disaster. It was a geographical collapse<\/b> that developed at a slow but irreversible pace until it consumed both villages.<\/p>\n
The landslide process began in May of the current year. Against a backdrop of intense spring precipitation, the first signs appeared on the slopes of Ghv’erki and Khemaghali. These were cracks and fissures that signaled the beginning of the movement of a large mass of earth. These signs immediately sparked fear among the locals.<\/p>\n
With the onset of summer, the processes accelerated. The cracks widened, leading to damage to the first residential houses and social infrastructure. By the end of the summer, the process became irreversible. The movement of the earth mass acquired an uncontrollable dynamic, rendering the entire territory of both villages uninhabitable. Houses and roads are completely destroyed or deformed.<\/p>\n
According to the comprehensive engineering-geological study conducted by LLC Geologic<\/b> and commissioned by the Kharagauli Municipal Hall, the landslide was classified by depth as \u201cvery deep\u201d<\/b> and by volume as \u201cvery powerful \u2013 extremely large.\u201d<\/b> The volume of the landslide body is approximately 30 million cubic meters, and the average depth is 43 meters.<\/p>\n
The study confirmed that the landslide body remains in active dynamic motion<\/b>; over a 10-day period, it shifted by an average of 0.96 meters. The conclusion is categorical: the landslide processes are irreversible<\/b>, and the natural stabilization of the slope is not to be expected.<\/p>\n
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The study states that the landslide event was primarily caused by natural factors<\/b>. This occurred because the slope contained a thick layer of clay soil that rapidly dissolves in water, and the ground was saturated with groundwater. Furthermore, tectonic fault lines were observed in the area, meaning the structural connections within the soil mass were broken, making the slope prone to movement. As for man-made factors (such as the railway construction), the report considers them only at the level of theoretical assumption and does not name them as the main cause of the landslide.<\/p>\n
According to the geologists’ assessment, the use of the territory for residential purposes is categorically inadmissible<\/b>. Citizens must be moved to a safe living environment, the school’s operation must cease, and the automobile roads must be blocked.<\/p>\n
There is a significant risk of torrential debris flows<\/b> during the flooding period of the Qarneba River, which threatens the main railway line and all infrastructure in the valleys.<\/p>\n
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What the People Say<\/h3>\n
The tragedy of these people extends beyond the realm of material loss. It is a social crisis of deep significance. The indigenous population of Ghv’erki and Khemaghali found it particularly difficult to abandon their native place because, generally, leaving a place at such a time means the denial of generational history and the breakdown of identity. That is why these people are not only concerned about their destroyed homes but especially about the fate of their ancestors’ graves.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was planning to turn this place into an orchard, but the unscrupulous actions and will of some people have brought us to this state. What am I supposed to do here?! I cannot abandon it, I cannot leave. I have to find something nearby. My mother, father, grandmother, and grandfather are right here. I cannot abandon that cemetery. I have to be able to look at this place, even if it is destroyed.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI wish it had burned down, been completely reduced to ashes, and the place had at least remained so we could start life over again from nothing, as we did before. I\u2019m not young. How long am I supposed to be in this ‘exile’ to newly create all this again, right?!\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLove is stronger than fear. I cannot live without Khemaghali. I talk to my cattle so I don’t forget how to speak. I would never have dreamed that something like this would happen to my village.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n It is a natural psychological need for people to have a logical explanation and a specific responsible party for a catastrophe. The majority of local residents assert that the landslide was caused by the work related to the expansion (modernization) of the Tbilisi-Batumi railway main line<\/b>.<\/p>\n They say that since 2019, they have been hearing and feeling the sounds and vibrations of explosions caused by the Chinese company’s tunnel construction. This impact, they believe, became the direct cause of the activation of the landslide process.<\/p>\n In their initial conclusions, based on visual inspection, geologists named active neotectonic movements<\/b> and heavy rainfall<\/b> as the causes of the landslide processes. Although the subsequent study\u2014specifically LLC Geologic’s comprehensive engineering-geological research\u2014only considers the role of man-made factors in the development of the landslide processes on a theoretical level, the position of the majority of the population remains unchanged.<\/p>\n The suspicion is reinforced by the change in geological data: Ghv’erki, which was not labeled as a problem area on maps before 2016, was already considered one from 2017, and by 2021, it was declared a landslide-prone zone<\/b>. This chronological correspondence is a factual argument in the hands of the population, as the modernization of the railway line and active works were taking place precisely during this period, 2019\u20132021. The opinions expressed by the community indicate that they find the official discourse, which ignores their direct daily experience and the sharp coincidence with the changes on the geological map, unacceptable.<\/p>\n Discussing the Ghv’erki and Khemaghali tragedy in the psychological dimension is important because its destruction affects not only people’s material possessions but also their consciousness. Such tragedies cause a complete breakdown of the fundamental sense of safety<\/b>\u2014when the ground is literally pulled out from under a person’s feet, psychosocial stability collapses, which is a source of serious trauma.<\/p>\n What psychological processes develop in a person’s identity and sense of belonging when the place where they were born, grew up, and where generations of their family lived is suddenly destroyed and becomes uninhabitable?<\/b><\/p>\n If we speak about this specific case, the population perceives this natural disaster as the result of incorrect human actions, which fundamentally alters human feelings and expectations. This is no longer just a geological collapse but a tragedy caused by a human factor. Consequently, a deep sense of injustice and anger<\/b> naturally arises. However, despite this, the population is not openly expressing anger but is currently in a state of shock<\/b>, which is a natural psychological reaction to a tragedy of this magnitude.<\/p>\n It is this shock that explains why we see not loud protest but a silent psychological collapse<\/b>\u2014an internal implosion of identity. The loss is so total that the psyche seems to “freeze” to protect itself from the immense pain. This loss simultaneously shatters all the pillars of identity:<\/p>\n It is precisely in this state of internal collapse and a “frozen” psyche that the instinct for survival<\/b> begins to work. When everything is lost, the psyche clings with all its might to the single concrete, viable idea. In this case, the entire collective energy of the people, their unspoken anger and sorrow, focuses on one demand: \u201cLet us settle together, close to our villages.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n This demand is much more than a simple wish. It is their psychological “ark”<\/b>\u2014the only thing that binds them together as a community and protects them from final disintegration. In this process, their sense of belonging undergoes an immediate and radical transformation. They cease to belong to the broader system that, in their perception, failed to protect them. Their circle of belonging narrows and crystallizes\u2014they now belong only to their common goal.<\/p>\n Ultimately, the primary psychological process is the silent breakdown of identity<\/b> and the immediate transformation of the sense of belonging into a unified, constructive goal. They do not expend energy on open demonstrations of anger; instead, they direct all their psychological resources toward creating the only support they have left\u2014the hope for a shared future.<\/b><\/p>\n How do people manage (how should they manage) to overcome such tragedies when their native place is so important to them because of personal, family histories, memories, and loved ones?<\/b><\/p>\n Overcoming such a multi-layered tragedy requires immense internal and external resources. This is not a simple process but a path that involves both deep internal psychological work and active, collective action. Psychologically, recovery involves the completion of several fundamental tasks.<\/p>\n The first task is ordering the chaos and finding a new foundation<\/b>. Initially, it is essential to allow space for grief. This is the mourning of not just the house, but the way of life, the identity, the history, and the future. The most crucial way to structure and process these chaotic emotions is telling the story<\/b>, which turns the painful experience into a unified narrative. In parallel, when the physical “ground” is gone, the psyche instinctively seeks a new anchor, which it finds in human connections and symbolic values, such as proximity to the ancestors’ cemetery<\/b>.<\/p>\n The second task is considering the existing reality<\/b>. Against the background of these general psychological tasks, we see how the affected community transforms this internal work into a unified, constructive, and powerful survival strategy<\/b>. Instead of expending energy on open, but possibly fruitless, expression of anger, these people accumulate their pain, sorrow, and sense of injustice and direct it toward one, specific, viable goal: \u201cLet us settle close to our villages.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n The factor of age<\/b> is crucial in choosing this strategy. For a middle-aged or elderly person who has lived most of their life, starting a new life from scratch in a completely foreign environment is not only difficult but psychologically almost impossible. They lack the time and energy resources for adaptation to a new reality. Therefore, their demand is not simply a wish\u2014it is the only way to retain their dignity, identity, and the prospect of minimal peace in the final stage of their lives.<\/p>\n Behind this unified demand lies deep psychological wisdom. Against a backdrop of chaos and hopelessness, this single goal becomes a brilliant survival strategy<\/b> because it simultaneously fulfills several vital psychological functions:<\/p>\n Hence, coping with the tragedy for these people is a remarkable synthesis of internal grief and external, purposeful action. They manage to turn their trauma not into a final verdict, but into the starting point for building a new community<\/b>. This is an extremely difficult but the most viable and dignified form of coping.<\/p>\n What kind of long-term psychological effects can result from the fact that people are forced to abandon their homes? And what specific support can help them overcome this tragedy?<\/b><\/p>\n The forced abandonment of one’s native home leaves a deep and lasting mark on the human psyche. In this specific case, when the tragedy is compounded by a sense of injustice<\/b> and uncertainty about the future<\/b>, we are dealing not with a single trauma but with a chronic, complex wound<\/b> that is constantly renewed and does not allow for healing.<\/p>\n The basis of this psychological wound is the general consequences caused by a loss of this magnitude. These are not just isolated problems but a whole cascade of interconnected, severe conditions:<\/p>\n It is noteworthy that this fundamental pain is compounded by three additional, particularly heavy layers that constantly keep the wound open and prevent its healing:<\/p>\n Standard “treatment” cannot cure such a complex, chronic wound. Support must be aimed not only at alleviating the symptoms but at changing the unjust conditions that reinforce these symptoms.<\/p>\n First and foremost, restoration of justice<\/b> is important. The most crucial and primary support is the fulfillment of their demands: adequate compensation and the allocation of land for settlement together, close to their village.<\/b> Psychologically, this is not just practical help but the main therapeutic intervention that will restore their control, dignity, autonomy, and the possibility of continuing their way of life.<\/p>\n Parallel to this fundamental support, targeted psychological assistance is critically important, the cornerstone of which is the validation of their feelings<\/b>. This means openly and clearly acknowledging that their sorrow, anger, and fear are not signs of weakness but an absolutely legitimate and healthy reaction. This validation works most powerfully in group sessions<\/b> that break down the walls of psychological isolation. The realization that you are not alone in your pain has immense healing power, where the unbearable pain of “mine” is transformed into the common, shared experience of “ours.”<\/p>\n Consequently, effective support must combine psychological assistance, social advocacy, and practical steps aimed at restoring not only their homes but their community, autonomy, and dignity<\/b>.<\/p>\n How does such a tragedy change the perception of what “home” is? Specifically, what psychological transformation do identity, memory, and the sense of belonging undergo as a result of the physical destruction of “home”?<\/b><\/p>\n The physical destruction of a home causes a radical internal transformation of the concept of “home,” which leaves a deep mark on identity, memory, and the sense of belonging. In this specific situation, burdened by injustice, these processes proceed even more intensely and painfully. After the destruction of the physical world, “home” in these people’s internal world simultaneously became three conflicting concepts: a sweet memory<\/b> that is being grieved; a humiliating reality<\/b> that is being rejected; and a goal<\/b> for which they are fighting.<\/p>\n The lost home for them is not merely a nostalgic memory. It is their lost world of autonomy and self-sufficiency<\/b>, which, they believe, was unfairly “taken away.” This world now exists only in their internal space, in memory. Accordingly, memory becomes a place with a dual purpose: on the one hand, it is a sweet shelter where their true life is still untouched, and on the other hand, it is a bitter torment that constantly reminds them of the magnitude of the loss. The internal home they carry is full not only of sorrow but of a sense of betrayal<\/b>.<\/p>\n The alternative offered to them\u2014living on rent<\/b>\u2014is perceived not as a home but as the antipode of home<\/b>. It is a symbol of dependence, the destruction of their way of life, and the erasure of their identity (as farmers and producers). It is a psychological cage that daily reminds them of what they have lost and what vital role they have been deprived of. It actively prevents the restoration of belonging because it separates community members from each other and robs them of their collective strength.<\/p>\n Against the background of these two painful perceptions, their psyche creates a third, vitally important image\u2014the home of the future<\/b>, i.e., a new settlement built together, close to the village. This vision becomes their new psychological center, and this is where the main transformation takes place:<\/p>\n This tragedy has become a process for them that has shattered the illusion of home as a physical building and exposed its true psychological essence: Home is autonomy, community, dignity, and the right to a future.<\/b> And the struggle for these values defines their transformation.<\/p>\n Can such a loss lead to the redefinition of personal or collective identity, and if so, what does this process look like on a psychological level?<\/b><\/p>\n Yes, a loss of this magnitude not only leads to the redefinition of identity but makes it inevitable. When the fundamental pillars of human existence collapse, the old identity can no longer exist. This is a necessary, albeit painful, process of adaptation for the psyche, which goes through several stages on a psychological level.<\/p>\n The first stage is Deconstruction<\/b>, or the shattering of identity. The old self-perception (“I am a farmer,” “I am a resident of this or that house”) loses its foundation and breaks down. In this specific case, this process is not chaotic but unfolds against the background of the silent, shock-induced collapse that we observe. The feeling of confusion and internal emptiness dominates at this stage.<\/p>\n The second stage is the Liminal Phase<\/b>, or “being on the threshold.” This is a painful “neither here nor there” state, where the old identity is already destroyed, but the new one has not yet been built. The person is, as it were, among the ruins of identity, in the void of uncertainty. For the residents of Khemaghali and Ghv’erki, this stage is expressed not in panic but in a seemingly calm state, focused on one concrete demand. It is precisely in this uncertainty that the potential for new meanings is born.<\/p>\n The third stage is Reconstruction<\/b>, or the building of a new identity. It is here that we see the unique strength of this community. The construction of their new identity is driven not so much by grieving the past as by the firm resolve to build the future<\/b>.<\/p>\n Ultimately, the redefinition of identity in this case is the psyche’s response not only to loss but also to injustice<\/b>. It is a process where the tragedy and subsequent crisis force people to discover a new strength within themselves\u2014the ability for collective unity, purposefulness, and standing together. This often leads to Post-Traumatic Growth<\/b>, where the hardest experience makes people stronger and more united.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Since ancient times, a home for a human being has been more than just a physical shelter. It is the center of identity\u2014the point from which we view the world and where we feel self-sufficient. Home, especially in non-urban regions, is inextricably linked to the community. It is a component of collective memory, where the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6496,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1697,1653,1594,1657],"tags":[2173,2171,2172],"class_list":["post-6506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-history","category-interview","category-news","category-science","tag-ghverki","tag-kharagauli","tag-khemaghali"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6506"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6506\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6511,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6506\/revisions\/6511"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/kharagaulis-stiqia-4-300x200.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Psychological Dimension of the Tragedy \u2013 What the Psychologists Say<\/h3>\n
Interview with Psychologist Oliko Nakashidze<\/h4>\n
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