Namakhvani hydropower plant

Saving ‘private’ Rioni: Georgia’s growing environmental protest

April 9, 2021

In just a few months, a protest against a large dam on the Rioni River has grown from a handful of people in Lechkhumi, western Georgia into a national demonstration. On the International Day of Action for Rivers, 14 March, thousands of Georgians made history with the largest environmental protest in the country’s recent past.