Government of Republic of Srpska (RS) in 2004 planned to make 2 hydro power plants (HPP) on Vrbas River, 15 and 25 kilometres upstream of Banja Luka. Public got information in late October 2004, about 5 days before Parliament of RS had to take decision on the project. Few NGOs decided to inform the public about possible impacts and in 3 days managed to collect more than 5500 signatures of Banja Luka citizens, with the goal to postpone Parliament's decision, but without success. In November 2004, the Government signed the concession contract with company HES Vrbas. In the same time, about 10 local NGOs established Coalition for Vrbas River Protection, that grew up to 36 NGOs in 2005. Soon after the contract was signed, the Coalition started to collect signatures for local referendum on this issue, and managed to reach almost 20 000 signatures in city of about 200 000 inhabitants. This was enough to push the Parliament of Banja Luka to take position against the projects in 2005. After that, both Government of RS and the company HES Vrbas withdrew their plans, as people and local government spoke against the project. |
The biggest successful environmental campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina to date. Started in late 2004 and was active until late 2005, when campaign was backed up by local parliament decision.
Description:
Basic Data
| Name of conflict: | Hydroelectric projects on Vrbas River, BiH |
| Country: | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| State or province: | Republic of Srpska |
| Location of conflict: | Banja Luka |
| Accuracy of location | HIGH (Local level) |
Source of Conflict
| Type of conflict: 1st level: | Water Management |
| Type of conflict: 2nd level : | Dams and water distribution conflicts |
| Specific commodities: | Electricity Water |
Project Details and Actors
| Project details: | Two HPPs |
| Level of Investment: | 187,017,000 |
| Type of population | Semi-urban |
| Affected Population: | 5000 - 250 000 |
| Start of the conflict: | 01/11/2004 |
| End of the conflict: | 29/09/2015 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | HES Vrbas from Slovenia Gradjevinar from Serbia Viaduct from Slovenia |
| Relevant government actors: | Parliament of Republic of Srpska, Government of Republic of Srpska, Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining, Ministry of Spatial Planning, Civil Engineering and Ecology |
| International and Finance Institutions | MBB UWS Energy GmbH (MBB) from Germany |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | Centar za zivotnu sredinu / Friends of the Earth Bosnia and Herzegovina (and Coalition for Vrbas River Protection, that includes more than 30 NGOs from Banja Luka). |
Conflict and Mobilization
| Intensity | MEDIUM (street protests, visible mobilization) |
| Reaction stage | PREVENTIVE resistance (precautionary phase) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Local ejos Recreational users Local scientists/professionals |
| Forms of mobilization: | Artistic and creative actions (eg guerilla theatre, murals) Development of a network/collective action Media based activism/alternative media Official complaint letters and petitions Public campaigns Street protest/marches Appeals/recourse to economic valuation of the environment |
Impacts of the project
| Environmental Impacts | Potential: Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Floods (river, coastal, mudflow), Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality, Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems, Reduced ecological / hydrological connectivity |
| Health Impacts | Potential: Accidents, Other Health impacts |
| Other Health impacts | health impacts of respiratory system |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Potential: Increase in Corruption/Co-optation of different actors, Displacement, Loss of livelihood, Violations of human rights |
Outcome
| Project Status | Stopped |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Strengthening of participation Project cancelled Withdrawal of company/investment |
| Development of alternatives: | Coalition for Vrbas River Protection before the agreement was signed proposed to be made comprehensive analysis of all potential of Vrbas River canyons, that were planed to be flooded. Proposal was to assess potentials other than energy, including tourism, water supply, biodiversity services, etc. |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | Yes |
| Briefly explain: | We consider this as en environmental justice success to a large extent, although public participation tools are still not functional and the compensation request of the company is still under evaluation. |
Sources and Materials
| References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
| |||||
| Links to general newspaper articles, blogs or other websites |
| |||||
| Related media links to videos, campaigns, social network |
| |||||
| Other documents |
|
Meta information
| Contributor: | miodrag dakic, Centar za zivotnu sredinu, [email protected], +387 51 433 142 |
| Last update | 19/10/2015 |
Comments