This morning at 10, residents of Garni and neighboring Goght united in Garni and close the main road to Yerevan, demanding that the government pull out of the Kaghtsrashen Gravity Irrigation Project.

Residents say that if the government doesn’t comply they will turn off the drinking water supply to the Ararat Province, which is regulated from the Azat River gorge.

As this news goes to print, there has been no comment from the government.

The project, if fully implemented, would draw water from the local Azat River and divert it to irrigate several communities in Ararat Province.

Residents have also launched a signature drive for a petition destined for Armenia’s Human Rights Defender.