Meeting of the Commission for the Study of Scientific Problems of Natural Disasters
- July 21, 2025
On July 18, 2025, the next meeting of the Commission for the Study of Scientific Problems of Natural Disasters was held at the Georgian National Academy of Sciences, at which a report was presented by Full Professor of Central China Normal University, Yijin Wu, on the topic – “Catastrophic Floods in the Yangtze River Basin Considering Climate Change.”
The session was opened by the Chairman of the Commission, Academician Givi Gavardashvili, who introduced the speaker to the audience and handed over the floor to Professor Yijin Wu.
The speaker divided his presentation into two parts, the first of which dealt with the hydroecological processes of the Yangtze River, namely the formation of floods and their negative consequences, and the second with 20 years of scientific cooperation between China and Georgia. Simultaneous translation was provided by Tamar Tutberidze, an employee of the Academy.
The speaker noted that the Yangtze River is one of the largest rivers in the world. The river basin and its lowlands are a key economic development region in China. However, this region has been the victim of frequent floods throughout history. The causes of floods are many, including snowmelt and rapid runoff due to steep topography; soil erosion , especially in mountainous regions; Monsoon rainfall, typhoons near the coastline; the need to increase the height of dams in the riverbed due to increased runoff; reduction in the area of natural reservoirs; and climate change.
Professor Yijin Wu focused on the impact of climate change on the discharge of the Yangtze River, including the formation of catastrophic floods. He noted that precipitation in the Yangtze River basin is increasingly concentrated in the summer months, with an increase in the number of heavy rainy days, which contributes to the formation of catastrophic floods.
In Part 2, Professor Wu was noted that scientific cooperation with Central China Normal University and the Georgian Institute of Water Management began when Professor Givi Gavardashvili was lecturing at the University of Giessen (Germany) in 2006. Professor Wu flew to Georgia in the next year and a scientific cooperation agreement was signed. Starting from this, we now invite Academician Givi Gavardashvili every year to conduct a lecture course, which fully funded by Chinese side.
It should also be noted that there is already a great demand for Academician Givi Gavardashvili’s lecture course in China, as confirmed by his last lecture series in 2024 on the topic – “Achievements of Innovative Science in Civil Construction, Environmental Protection and Agriculture” at various universities: Central China Normal University (Wuhan), Yangtze River Research Institute of the Chinese National Academy of Sciences (Wuhan), East China Normal University (Shanghai), Zhejiang Normal University (Jinhua, Zhejing Province), Jiujing University (Jiujing, Jiangxi Province). Professor Yijin Wu expressed great gratitude that with the help of Professor Givi Gavardashvili, he personally got to know world-class scientists such as Academicians Tsotne Mirtskhulava and Otar Natishvili.
The report aroused great interest, as evidenced by the many questions asked during the presentation and wishes for strengthening future cooperation.
