The "Green Nobel" of a Bosnian who fought to protect a river

Mayada Bilal endured being beaten to protect the Krusica River in Bosnia. Reuters

Mayada Bilal endured beatings and harassment when she spent more than 500 days guarding and fighting to protect the Krustica River in Bosnia with a team of women in her village, to block building permits on its banks.

 The battle, which took place in central Bosnia, was resolved in December 2018, but Mayada is still fighting in the front lines against other proposed projects across the Balkan country, to reap the fruits of her efforts and win an award called the "Green Nobel".

Mayada, 40, became the European winner of the 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize, which honors pioneers working in environmental protection from six regions in the world.

"We defended the river for 503 days, with a 24-hour physical presence," Mayada told Reuters.

In the summer of 2017, villagers prevented heavy equipment from crossing a wooden bridge on the way to the construction site, saying the project would harm the environment.

“I lost my job, lost my friends, and my daughter was bullied at school,” said Mayada, who majored in economics. “I would lie if I said it was easy, but I did it despite everything.

I have a daughter and I don't want her when she grows up to have the same problems as her mother.”

The virtual awards ceremony lauded the winners as "these everyday heroes who show the strength of the fan base in protecting our planet."

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