Several hundred locals gathered early morning today with an intent to block the road for excavators and machines belonging to the investor Amitea D.O.O. Mostar, who intend to begin with the construction work on the first two out of fifteen small hydropower plants on Neretvica river, which is 27 kilometers long. Residents of Kliš and other nature lovers yet again displayed unprecedented unity, with a single shared goal: to save the dreamy river Neretvica.

This is the second protest that brought together all generations. The fight for Neretvica and all other rivers of B&H endangered by construction of small hydropower plants has united the activists, media, and locals. But, investors, aided by the municipal regime and their satellites, are not giving up on turning to concrete the river rich in endemic species and disrupting the fish trails, so that a few individuals could profit on behalf of destruction of a local community and this incredibly valuable resource. The methods they use are in complete opposition to the basic principles of allowing citizens to take part in decision making process. Not even after two months and a number of attempts, from requests for access to information to urgent appeals and complaints, after all legal deadlines have passed, did the citizens receive any response or documentation from Municipality office. This kind of treatment of locals by their municipality representatives is a scary disregard for the status of citizens, and is an example of existing practices whose main goal is destruction and pillaging of resources that future generations depend on. Local government of this community is unfamiliar with the basic postulates that refer to the obligation to actively protect and manage the resources in a way that everyone could benefit. Instead, it acts as an autonomous power apparatus controlled by the interests of minorities – the investors. Furthermore, by excluding the locals from the decision making process, local government delegitimizes itself and makes it impossible for public to overcome the faults of the existing system. Local government's lack of viewing the natural resources as common good, empowers the locals to articulate their resistance by blocking the degrading processes, which Kliš residents have done with great dedication.

Those brought together by the struggle for the river, have to fight their war on many fronts. They have started a petition, engaged a legal team, and opened a legal case at the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo, in an attempt to prove that oversights and omissions have been made in the process of producing the construction permit for small hydropower plants Gorovik ušće and Srijanski most. Also, an initiative for an appeal to review the legal frame of the process of awarding the aforementioned permits has been forwarded to the FB&H D.A. office.

This activity is headed by Zeleni Neretva Konjic association, supported by other associations from around the country. 

Freedom to rivers!