Impacts on the Engineering Properties of Rocks in Tbilisi, Georgia Due to Changing Hydrogeological Conditions

Currently in Tbilisi there are more than 2400 highly deformed buildings. The main causes of the deformation are soil type, the proximity and mineralised nature of near-surface groundwater, changes of the ground water level due to leakage from wastewater and seepage from Tbilisi’s water supply reservoir and the Samgori irrigation system. Typical examples of the destructive effect of groundwater are considered. The current practice of treating each case of building subsidence as a separate problem is not effective and should be replaced by a comprehensive study of the city area with the aim of zoning sectors with similar problems so that counter-deformation measures can be better targeted.