MPs halt mining of pozzolana in Kapchorwa

Residents affected by the mining of pozzolana, a key ingredient in the manufacture of cement, in Kapchorwa and Bulambuli districts have expressed relief after Members of Parliament on the Natural Resources Committee ordered cement companies to halt their operations in the area over environmental degradation.

The residents, who are living within a radius of 500 metres from the quarries in both districts, have for long complained that mining activities have led to contamination of water sources. They also claim that vibration from machines and flying rocks from the quarry sites have destroyed their houses.

The MPs led by Mr Keefa Kiwanuka, the committee chairperson, said the companies should halt their activities until a proper impact assessment is done and the affected people compensated.

“What is happening here is very deplorable and as a committee, we have decided that companies that are involved should halt their activities with immediate effect,” he said.

Mr Kiwanuka made the remarks at Chemangala quarry belonging to Tororo Cement over the weekend.

The residents have also been protesting over alleged failure by the companies to compensate them so that they can relocate to safer areas.

The companies involved in the mining include Tororo Cement, Kampala Cement, Simba Cement and Hima Cement.

The most affected villages in Kapchorwa District include Chekwatit, Chemangala, Kachchela, Nabugimba, Kaboryat and Kapchekukwo in Kawowo Sub-county.

In Bulambuli, the most affected villages include Buwekanda, Bumasokho, Buwakooli, Bunandutu, Bumwalye and Masatsa in Nabongo Sub-county.

The committee also issued summons to the regulatory agencies, including the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) and the ministry of Energy, to explain the actions they have so taken against the companies.

“It is evident that there has been negligence on part of the authorities that are supposed to regulate the mining activities,” Mr Kiwanuka said, adding that the plight of the people has not been taken care of by the companies.

He added that they will summon the cement factories so that they can review their licences.

“We are going to summon these companies to the committee to explain why this is ongoing under their watch,” he said.

Ms Noeline Kisembo Basemera, the Kabale Woman MP, decried the contamination of water sources in the affected areas.

“There is a lot of water, which is contaminated and it flows uncontrolled to join the main stream, which is used by the community. This calls for urgent action,’ she said.

However, Mr Ohad Kaplan, the operation manager at Chemangala quarry site, said they have put in place measures to ensure that there is no environmental degradation in the area.

The officer in-charge of the quarry in Kaserem Village, who refused to identify himself, said they have never received any complaints from the community.

Mr Alex Musebeye, a resident, commended the MPs for the intervention.

“We had held several meetings with both district authorities and company officials but they had not yielded any positive results but we are happy now,” he said.