USAID Donates Greenhouse Gas measuring Equipment to Georgia

RUSTAVI, Georgia – US government-funded NGO USAID has donated greenhouse gas measuring equipment to Georgia, the mission’s director Douglas Ball said Thursday.

The equipment is the first of its kind to be purchased and used in Georgia, according to Tbilisi’s Ministry for Regional Development and Infrastructure.

Georgia has made commitments under the EU Association Agreement and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change to monitor and reduce emissions of methane and other gases that contribute to global climate change.

The country had, until now, lacked the proper equipment and technical knowledge to fulfil its green house gas commitments.

According to the US Embassy in Georgia, USAID’s ‘Waste Management Technologies in Regions’ (WMTR) project donates equipment and provides training to technicians working for Georgia’s National Solid Waste Management Company (NSWMCG).

Within the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the WMTR project and the NSWMCG, a plan will be developed aimed at reducing harmful green house gas emissions.

The baseline data accumulated during the development will be used to devise future plans that will lead to the closure and care of landfill sites.

The USAID-funded WMTR project has been actively working on introducing sustainable waste management practices in Georgia’s Kakheti region and Adjara Autonomous Republic since 2014.

The project aims to maintain a cleaner and healthier environment and to minimize the adverse ecological impact from pollution emanating from waste sites.

By Ana Akhalaia

Edited by Nicholas Waller