Abkhaz villagers blocked the highway due to a fire at the landfill.

Residents of the village of Alakhadzy in the Gagra district blocked the road to the landfill, where there are still unextinguished hotspots of fire. They demanded the closure of the dump due to constant acrid smoke and the threat of a major fire.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", residents of Abkhazia periodically complain about unsanitary conditions due to landfills. For instance, in June 2024, residents of the village of Shashikuara complained that the smell from the landfill bothers local residents, and due to the lack of fencing, livestock grazes right on the dump. They pointed out that the authorities of Abkhazia have been limiting themselves to promises to remove the landfill in response to appeals for several years.

Residents of the village of Alakhadzy in the Gagra district blocked the road to the landfill to prevent further waste deliveries. Unextinguished hotspots of fire remain on the landfill site. Residents complain about unsanitary conditions due to constant smoke and a strong unpleasant odor, reported today by the IA "Aiyashara."

The head of the Gagra district administration, Yuri Khagush, deputies of the district assembly, and administration staff arrived at the scene. There are also employees of the district police and the State Security Service of Abkhazia present, noted the Telegram channel "DNews Abkhazia."

About 700 people signed the petition demanding the closure of the landfill, the publication stated.

It should be noted that the problem with landfills in Abkhazia has been relevant for a long time. For example, on December 3, 2018, in Sukhum, at a rally, residents of the Mayak microdistrict protested against the operation of the local landfill, which forced the authorities to begin modernizing the solid waste landfill. On April 2, 2019, the leader of the initiative group for closing the Sukhum landfill was detained, but was released after citizen protests. On April 4, a campaign by local residents against the operation of the city landfill began, and they started to prevent garbage trucks from entering the landfill. On April 8, the President of Abkhazia promised at a meeting with the protesters that the construction of a new landfill would be completed within six months.