Epress.am News from Armenia
Several hundred residents of Aragatsotn marz (province) protesting the construction of a hydroelectric plant near the villages of Ohanavan and Ushi today blocked the road going to those villages.
Because of villagers' demands, those carrying out construction were forced to remove some of their equipment.
During the day, Epress.am covered the event in a live blog:
4:00 pm: At this moment, construction equipment is being removed from the site. The villagers, who had gone to the site along with police, sent them off with shouts of "Hurray! Hurray!" However, if all of the equipment is not removed, they promise to block the road again — this time with their wives and children.
2:00 pm: After tense negotiations, villagers agreed to open the road on the condition that construction of the hydroelectric plant is ceased. When villagers, accompanied by police, were preparing to go to the construction site, to be convinced that the equipment is indeed being removed, police officers shoved environmental activists Yeghia Nersisyan and Gevorg Safaryan in a police car and were getting ready to leave until a few dozen villagers, however, blocked the car's path. The villagers continue to remain on the scene.
1:32 pm: About a thousand residents of rural communities in Aragatsotn marz have blocked the road to Ohanavan village, resulting in traffic coming to a halt. Residents of Karbi, Ohanavan, Yerznka, Ushi, and other nearby villages are protesting construction of a hydroelectric plant near Karbi and Ohanavan.
According to the Epress.am correspondent on the ground, Aragatsotn marzpet (regional governor) Sargis Sahakyan is at the village, asking residents to stop their protest and open the road, but the villagers insist they won't leave until construction is halted. A few dozen police officers, including some from Yerevan, have also arrived.
The villagers claim that the hydroelectric plant will deprive them of irrigation water, since the plant will consume so much water from Aparan reservoir that their gardens and yards will dry up.
Recall, on March 1, the villagers met with the marzpet and a representative of the developer. During the nearly two-hour meeting, there was still no response to the question of whether there is a project under which this construction must be carried out.