The Balkan region of south-eastern Europe, with its abundance of small rivers, has been viewed as a prime area for new hydropower plants. However, environmentalists say these plants actually bring more harm than benefit to the people of the region. And the residents of one small Bosnian village are doing all they can to halt construction to save their livelihoods. Aljosa Milenkovic reports.

The idyllic river of Kruscica is located in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. It's downstream is a valuable source of fresh water for over a hundred-thousand people. While upstream is home to some native species. And right there, according to plans and concessions given, four mini hydropower plants are planned for construction. News that sparked outrage among the locals.

ALJOSA MILENKOVIC KRUSCICA "Six women from this village decided to raise their voices against construction of several mini hydro power plants at the small river behind me. And for more than a year, they have stopped heavy machinery from crossing this bridge to prevent the construction that, as they see it, would destroy their river."

They've drawn support from the entire village for standing up to the authorities. This low quality phone video was taken back in August 2017 when riot police attempted to remove the villagers by force at the blockade. Although they initially succeeded, after a while they had to withdraw. Ever since, Kruscica women keep the watch here 24/7, protecting their small river.

TAHIRA TIBOLD HEAD, KRUSCICA COMMUNITY GROUP "For us, local citizens, where this river runs through, if we can not have this water -- can you imagine that? And we are fighting for this, because we don't have drinking water. Our only source is this water. There are some small wells, but they are frozen during the winter. If there is no river here, then we have to move from our village."

According to construction plans, waters of the Kruscica river should be funneled to power plant turbines through 2 kilometers of pipes. And the main concern of the villagers is that their river will be left dry because of it. The authorities have been quick to dismiss those claims.

ABDULAH BUREK DEPUTY MINISTER FOR WATER MANAGEMENT, SREDNJE-BOSANSKI KANTON "Every concessionaire is bonded by the contract to present a study about the so-called 'ecologically acceptable water minimum' during both winter and summer. That is written into their concession agreement and they have to follow that minimum. Concessionaires have to maintain those water levels, regardless of whether they can't produce electricity because there is not enough water."

But the environmentalists disagree and say that actually nobody is interested in protecting the environment here, including the international community representatives in Bosnia.

ANES PODIC EKO AKCIJA NGO "We don't have any support from the international community. The international community has a large presence in Bosnia that we are still partly governed by. But since lots of companies from the EU are trying to get part of the business, the EU delegation remains silent."

The stalemate has continued here for over a year, with neither side ready to back down, and the stakes for the Kruscica villagers are high. Aljosa Milenkovic, CGTN, Kruscica.