The inhabitants of the Bosnian village of Kruscica have succeeded with their lawsuits against the two planned hydropower plants. The cantonal court of Novi Travnik upheld their objections against construction and urban permits (1). The locals have been actively demonstrating against hydropower plants for almost 16 months which has drawn the attention of European media (2). The controversial projects would cause significant damage to the surrounding natural environment and harm the source of drinking water for many people.
It is a breakthrough decision for the 810 villagers of Kruščica. Represented by a lawyer, they initiated an administrative dispute against the renewal of urban approvals and construction permits for the small hydropower plants, Kruščica 1 and Kruščica 2. The villagers were not adequately informed and involved in the previous decision-making procedures.
“We are happy to see some shift towards improvement and truly greatful to all organizations and good people for their support. At the moment, we are the proudest community in Bosnia and Herzegovina," stated Amela zukan, one of the 'brave Women of Kruščica' (3).
The Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction, Environmental Protection, Return, and Housing of Central Bosnia Canton, which, in repeated proceedings, did not take into consideration the citizens' opinions and renewed these approvals, lost the court case to the people who objected to the construction. The court ruled a positive verdict on all four claims on Friday last week which willl protect the water for the villagers.
Viktor Bjelic from the Center for the Environment claims that "this decision of the Cantonal Court is the only possible outcome, since the Ministry has not renewed the disputed decisions in light of the proper and fully-established facts. This decision gives power to the inhabitants of Kruščica to insist on their demands and persists until the termination of the concession contracts for hydropower plants takes place,” says an environmentalist from Banja Luka.
"I was excited to receive the news. The locals are already very tired. To prevent the construction, they were blocking the bridge across the Kruščica River day and night. It has been extremely demanding for all of them,” says Zuzana Vachůnová from the Czech NGO Arnika. She has followed the Kruščica case from the beginning.
Today, organizations and individuals from the Coalition for Protection of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Rivers are celebrating the victory for the battle of Kruscica. Also, they welcome the recent resolutions of the European Parliament, which highlights the environmental risks of the construction of small hydropower plants and emphasizes that they are in opposition to the European Union's environmental standards (4).
(1)
For more information on the Krušné Mountains region (Vitez.info)
Please note that the following information is available: Avinu.ba)
(2)
'They dammed Everything' - Bosnia's hydropower gone sour (BBC.com)
A Balkan Dam Boom Imperils Europe's Wildest Rivers (E360.yale.edu)
Another victory for the "Brave Women of Kruščica" (Euronatur.org)
A tale Balkan hydropower tsunami (Bankwatch.org)
(3) The nickname was given to female guardians of the river after being violently attacked by a special police unit in August 2017. A few days later, the defended bridge named 'Most Hrabrih žena Kruščice' (Bridge of the brave women of Kruščica).
(4) European Parliament war Balkan countries to stop destructive hydropower (Bankwatch.org)
European Parliament resolution of 29 November 2018 on 2018 Commission Report on Montenegro [2018/2144 (INI)]: The European Parliament [...] 45 The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) review its support for hydropower plant projects, and to withdraw funding for all projects that are undertaken in protected areas or lack of environmental impact assessments. ( http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&reference=P8-TA-2018-0482&language=EN&ring=A8-2018-0339 )
