Interdepartmental Commission will study the problems of small HPPs on   Yeghegis River

ArmInfo. Taking into account the catastrophic ecological state in the Yeghegis river gorge and the critical low water level in the river, an interdepartmental working group will be created in a short time on the instructions of RA  Minister of Environment Romanos Petrosyan, which will deal with the  problems of 17 small hydroelectric power plants located on the  Yeghegis river.  This was reported by the press service of the  Ministry.

The work will be carried out in the direction of identifying  inconsistencies existing in the indicated HPPs, revising the  established quotas for water use and clarifying the actual volume of  water intake. Based on the information collected, together with the  Inspectorate for the Protection of Nature and Subsoil, a series of  checks will be carried out to record all congested areas. Through  appropriate legislative instruments, strict control mechanisms will  be established to restore the damaged ecosystem of the river in the  short term and bring economic entities into an exclusively legal  field of activity. Particular attention will be paid to the  restrictions on eco-waste from these small hydropower plants. The  Minister gave a clear instruction to ensure a guaranteed volume of  ecological flow, and to present a legislative draft regulating the  above- mentioned area in a short time. A mandatory component of the  study by the working group will also be the problem of efficiency and  compliance with the standards of fish farmers of small hydropower  plants.

The interdepartmental working group will involve representatives of  the professional departments of the Ministry of the Environment, the  Inspectorate for the Protection of Nature and Subsoil, as well as  local government bodies.

Particular attention will be paid to the process of correcting the  existing omissions in the legislative field coordinating the sector,  finalizing the legislative regulations necessary for regulation and  developing new bills.

"Small hydroelectric power plants are an important link in the energy  independence and security of the Republic of Armenia, but their  activities should not harm the environment, undermining ecosystems  and threatening the safety of biodiversity," the statement said.