River Nyamwamba: Find an  opportunity in a misfortune 

It came with a lot of chaos, yet it gave us what none had ever thought of.  

It might have been an unfortunate event but the burst out of River Nyamwamba in south western part of Uganda left a lot of cobbles for everyone to see.  

The river flows from the Rwenzori Mountains, sliding off broken rocks that are sometimes washed into a collection of channels and rivers. 

However, in the last seven years, rivers in the Rwenzori Sub-region have been flooding, creating serious havoc to human life and property but sweeping a lot of things off the shore. 

The flooding mainly results from silting, which has worsened overtime due to lack of deliberate efforts by government to de-silt rivers in the region. 

The process the flooding and bursting of river banks, has thus exposed cobbles of all sizes that present an opportunity from a misfortune.   

Therefore, whereas the flooding has been life wrecking, it is important that we use it to our advantage by combing out whatever there is to wipe away the tears. 

Firstly, many Ugandans limit mining to gem stones but to widen it a little, let us focus on the cobbles that are swept along with the flooding waters on the river banks. 

Right, it does not involve excavation but this – cobbles – is one resource that we should utilise to uplift livelihoods.   

Stones or cobbles, in mining speak, are a key ingredient in construction. In whichever way you decide to use them, they have commercial value with a long history of excavation. Therefore, now that they have been swept to river banks, there is need to make then a resource harvested from a misfortune.  

Beyond the cobbles, floods have come with enclaves of clay, gravel, sand and sand stone, all of which are key factors in construction. 

In mining speak, these are classified as development minerals or low value minerals, which specifically provide crucial inputs for domestic economic development, especially in areas of infrastructure, manufacturing, construction and agriculture development. 

These have the potential to boost development through employment creation at the local and regional levels. 

But above all, they come with less excavation, which has over years been a key drive of land degradation. 

Stone craft is immensely popular, partly because it is a key factor in a number of construction procedures that involve both design and foundational building.

Perhaps, government would also use this opportunity to re-inforce river banks by putting together gabions or retaining walls re-inforced by draining channels or a network of stone collection points.  

Case for stone mining 

Stones are a popular choice because of their commercial and social advantages, including:

Taking long to age: Arguably, stones look better with age and will retain their natural exquisite for years. Therefore, instead of wiping tears endlessly, we should use the stones swept by River Nyamwamba to create fresh and new designs. 

Stones have a low level of impact on the environmental: Unlike, cement or tiles, stone have many “green” characteristics, which work well with the environment. They contains no pollutants, release no chemicals, and need no substances to be used in construction.

Low-maintenance: Stones need very little or no maintenance or upkeep once they are used in construction. There’s no need to paint or finish and are extremely easy to clean. Even decades-old stones can be polished and restored with minimal cost.

Durable and resistant: There is little that bothers stones and can last a life time. They are  resistant to pests, rot and are fireproof. Many natural stone floors and countertops last for decades and show no wear.

Benefits of quality and value: Stones are high quality and high value products. They weave a sense of sophistication and elegance and are easy to construct. 

Landscaping: Stone brings an elegant yet organic feel and seamlessly blend with plants, wood and water when used in pathways, benches, fountains, garden walls and pavers.

Varied and unique: Stone comes in a variety of natural colours, structures and textures, making it useful for just about any application. It can be resurfaced in many ways to give builders an unlimited number of choices to match style, ambiance or appearances.

Uganda’s mineral sector 

According the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Uganda has good potential for minerals with favourable geological environment for world class economic mineral deposits. 

Discoveries of copper, nickel, gold, chromite, iron ores, tin, tantalite, tungsten, limestone, marble, graphite and gemstones have since been made. 

Other resources such as sand, clay and rock mining have also become significant in the face of economic growth. 

These have attracted increased foreign direct investment in the sub-sector from $5m in 2003 to more than $800m in 2017. 

Similarly, revenues have increased from licence fees and royalties from $0.5m in 2003 to $14.6m. 

Mining currently, contributes 0.3 per cent to gross domestic product with an annual growth of 10.9 per cent. 

However, the mineral sub-sector continues to face a number of challenges, which among them include low funding; institutional capacity to manage the mineral resources, lack of value addition, and complex nature of artisanal and small-scale mining, conflicts and environmental degradation.  There are also emerging issues such as mineral certification requirements, regional and international commitments have also cropped up and the lack of a strategic management framework for various projects. 

But these challenges, should be turned into opportunities for both local and international stakeholders as well as utilising every opportunity to widen the mining fold. 

Potential investors must utilise and develop the mineral resources away from their artisanal nature to large commercial resources. 

Therefore, excavating stones out of River Nyamwamba and turning them into finished products for construction must be an objective that seeks to add value and finding an opportunity in a misfortune. 

Ms Irene Ngabirano is an expert in the extractive industry: Email: [email protected].

Twitter: @IreneNgabirano