Abandoned quarry sites in Ntungamo worry locals

Residents of Ntugamo District are worried about abandoned stone quarry sites in the area that have so far claimed the lives of four children since 2018.

The quarries were used to supply materials for road construction and left open after completion of projects.
Residents complain that the open pits left behind pose a danger to locals and domestic animals. Some of the pits have been filled up by rain water and become a breeding ground for malaria-transmitting mosquitoes.

Two children drowned in the flooded pits in April last year and another two in 2018. 
Mr Joseph Kamugisha, whose son drowned in Nyakibigi quarry in 2018, said he is haunted by memories of his son whenever he passes by the quarry site.

Anguish
“My boy was playing by the pond, he was coming from school and we just found him dead. If it was a normal water body, he would have survived,” he said.

The African, Caribbean and Pacific- European Union manual on minerals mining states that quarry centres should be returned to almost their original form after closure to restore the ecosystem.

Some of the quarry sites that were abandoned are at Karegyeya mines, Nyakibigi in Western Division, Ntungamo Municipality and Kaina in Rwentobo and another in Kyentama in Kitwe Town. Others, which were abandoned in 1970s, are in Ruhaama, Rugarama North, Rwentobo Town Council and Kayonza sub-counties.

Mr Edison Turyatemba, the town council chairperson-elect for Rwentobo-Rwahi, said although they have managed to fence off Kaina quarry, they need government assistance. 
The district police commander, Mr Geoffrey Orochi, called for observance of mining rules. 

Last month, the Minister of State for Mineral Development, Ms Sarah Opendi, acknowledged that stone quarrying is acceptable by law. However, she said that there are those who do it illegally and degrade the environment.

The district natural resources officer, Ms Dinah Tumwebaze, said they have been in contact with companies that set up the quarry centres to rehabilitate them but they have been adamant.

“We have tried to contact the companies that were quarrying but there seems to be a blame game. While they say Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra) is responsible for the centres, it says the mines are for the road contractors. When you contact the former contractors, they tell you the contract is done and Unra won’t [rehabilitate  the sites] but as the district, we shall do more,” Ms Tumwebaze said.

Unra response
The Unra spokesperson, Mr Allan Ssempebwa Kyobe, said fixing the quarries is the responsibility of  the contractors.

“Decommissioning of the mines is for the contractor. We have not received complaints and we have not been aware of these issues. We are going to investigate to ascertain whether what we agreed with them in the contract is what was implemented,” Mr Kyobe said.

Efforts to get comments from the contractors were futile since the calls to their numbers went unanswered.