The village women who guarded their river for 503 days
Women in a Bosnian village held a round-the-clock blockade of a bridge for 503 days to stop two small hydropower plants on the river that supplies their water.
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The small thing
On 2 August 2017 women from Kruščica put up a tent by the bridge to their river and began taking turns, day and night, to keep construction machinery from passing.
The problem
Two small hydropower plants were planned on the Kruščica River, which residents depend on for drinking water. EuroNatur reports that around 3,000 new hydropower plants were planned or under construction across the Balkans.
Why the Brave Women of Kruščica started
Residents opposed the plants to protect the river, their clean drinking water and the surrounding nature, according to Balkan Diskurs. EuroNatur reports they wanted to stop two planned plants on their river.
What they did
The women occupied the bridge used by construction vehicles and guarded it in shifts, through a cold winter, for 503 days. Alongside the blockade, residents and supporting NGOs challenged the plants' permits in court.
In August 2018 about 200 villagers and neighbours turned back a renewed attempt to bring in workers and machinery (EuroNatur). After the blockade ended, Maida Bilal went on to found the Krug Života foundation in 2021 and to campaign on rivers across Bosnia and Herzegovina.
What changed
According to EuroNatur, a cantonal court revoked the environmental permit in June 2018 and, in late 2018, upheld objections to the plants, after which the women left the bridge. The group received the EuroNatur Award in 2019, and Maida Bilal received the 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize on their behalf. Balkan Diskurs reports that in June 2022 the Federation parliament adopted a decision banning construction of small hydropower plants; Bilal says it has yet to be properly implemented.
What they learned
Bilal has said that a ban on paper is not enough without serious implementation, and that citizens and authorities share responsibility for protecting the environment.
“We defended the river for 503 days, 24 hours a day.”The Brave Women of Kruščica (including Maida Bilal), as quoted by Yahoo News (wire video report)
Copy this idea
Practical guidance written by our editors from the sources below. Adapt it to your place, and check local rules and safety first.
- Problem addressed
- A development that threatens a local river or water supply.
- What to do
- Organise residents for peaceful, sustained presence, while working with lawyers and NGOs to test permits through official channels.
- Materials and resources
- Shelter, a rota, documentation (photos, permit records), legal support contacts.
- Approximate cost
- Low
- Skills
- Community organising, record-keeping, understanding planning and environmental permit law, media contact.
- Time
- Months to years.
- People needed
- A committed core group with wider village backing and outside legal and NGO allies.
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Risks and limitations
- Arrest, physical harm, legal costs, burnout and lost income. Know your legal rights and stay non-violent.
- How to adapt it
- Start with legal and procedural routes; seek support from established environmental organisations before direct action.
- Lessons learned
- Legal challenges and visible local presence reinforced each other; victories may need defending again later.
Why it matters
One village blockade cannot decide the future of all Balkan rivers. But Kruščica shows how ordinary residents, many of them women with no campaigning background, combined persistence on the ground with legal action to protect a local water source.
Policy connection
International commitments this kind of action contributes to. Listing a framework does not mean the person or group was working towards it.
- Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Targets 2, 3 and 22: Restoration, area-based conservation, and full participation of Indigenous peoples and local communities, including protection of environmental human rights defenders.
- SDG 14 and SDG 15: Life below water and life on land.
What didn't work
On 24 August 2017 police cleared the bridge; according to the Coalition for Rivers Protection, reported by Arnika, at least 27 women and two men needed medical care and more than 27 people were detained, while the cantonal interior ministry said officers used no inadequate force. The Bosnian Human Rights Ombudsman opened an investigation. Bilal has described sleepless nights, illness and inability to work during the protest. In 2020 EuroNatur reported investors seeking a new permit and residents barred from a public hearing.
Editor's note
The bridge blockade ended in December 2018 after a court upheld objections to the plants. In 2020 EuroNatur reported investors pursuing a new permit. In a 2024 interview (republished 2025) Maida Bilal said a 2022 Federation ban on small hydropower still needed real implementation. No source found confirms the plants were finally cancelled.
Sources: how do we know?
Evidence level: Documented. Supported by reliable published sources such as UN agencies, award bodies and reputable journalism. Not yet independently re-verified by our editors. What the person says and what independent sources establish are attributed separately in the text.
- award body
Brave Women of Kruščica receive EuroNatur Award 2019 — EuroNatur, October 2019Supports: Blockade August 2017–December 2018; two planned plants; court upheld objections late 2018; ~3,000 Balkan hydropower plants planned; 2019 award. - reputable journalism
Kruščica's Bridge of Brave Women — Amir Barleci, Balkan Diskurs, 10 March 2025Supports: Vitez municipality; motives; 505 days (other sources say 503); 22 women and one man arrested; Krug Života founded 2021; June 2022 ban; Bilal's personal costs and call for implementation. - reputable journalism
Bosnian woman awarded 'Green Nobel' — Yahoo News (wire video report), June 2021Supports: Blockade began 2 August 2017, tent and shifts, 503 days; 2021 Goldman Prize; quote. - organisational
Another victory for the 'Brave Women of Kruščica' — EuroNatur, 23 August 2018Supports: June 2018 court revoked environmental permit; ~200 villagers turned back machinery 17 August 2018. - organisational
Police violence in Kruščica investigated by the Ombudsmen of B&H — Arnika, August 2017Supports: 24 August 2017 police clearance, reported injuries and detentions (Coalition for Rivers Protection account), ministry denial, Ombudsman investigation. - organisational
The 'Brave Women of Kruščica' must fight again — EuroNatur, 19 June 2020Supports: Investors pursuing new permit in 2020; residents barred from hearing. - reputable journalism
Bosnian women win award after occupying bridge for 503 days to prevent hydropower plant construction — Exit News, 19 June 2021Supports: 2021 Goldman Prize to Maida Bilal on behalf of the women; 503 days; violent eviction attempts.