"Armenia: Growth in small hydros threatens rivers", 8 March 2016

...Small power plants...have become an attractive investment in Armenia since 2001, when the government passed the Law on Energy Power requiring the national electric utility to buy up all the electricity they generate in their first 15 years of operation...Critics say these plants are built without conforming to environmental standards, and at least one was built without environmental permits...[T]he plants already in operation are sucking up most of the water in the river system, destroying traditional trout fisheries and depriving area residents of reliable access to water.