Unregulated sand mining, murrum excavation a race against nature

The booming construction industry in Uganda where sand is a valuable component is now under scrutiny by environmentalists over non compliance related challenges at the minefields.

While the sand and murrum miners are duty bound to adhere to the set environment regulations that guard against nature degradation in line with the stipulated mining policy, the abandoned open pits scattered in almost 85 percent of the sand and murrum mine fields is a disaster waiting. The non wetland areas have the open pits with land left bare of vegetation after the mining activity while the wetland areas present a big shift in the ecological setting, the environment and climate actors reveal.

In Mukono, Wakiso, Luweero , Nakaseke, Mpigi, Mityana, Kiboga among other Districts in Central Uganda, abandoned mining sites with open pits left bare of vegetation is a common site. The miners in the sand and murrum business quickly shift to new sites and leave behind open pits bare of vegetation.

While the licensing process for individuals and companies targeting excavations of the murrum and sand is after the presentation of a rehabilitation plan before issuance of a permit, non compliance could be the reason for the many deserted open pits that are bare of vegetation. The open pits are not only an environmental hazard but pose many other risks including accidents.  

The 2018 Mining Policy requires that the mining fields are clearly demarcated and an Environment rehabilitation plan clearly stated and presented at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development before the permit is issued. But the scattered open pits left behind by the miners despite the existence of the mining policy raises the big question about the enforcement plan.

In Wakiso and Mukono Districts where the sand miners have almost exhausted the mining fields and moved to the neighboring Districts of Kayunga, Luweero, Buikwe and Nakaseke; the authorities pile the blame on the environment protection enforcement plans that in many cases are left on paper and never enforced.

Mr Matia Lwanga Bwanika, the Wakiso District LC5 Chairperson says that while the sand is a big component in the construction industry, the careless nature of the actors in the sand mining industry in total disregard the wetland ecosystem and the land where the miners disregard the environment protection guidelines.

“We are not against the sand mining activity but the failure to adhere to the guidelines that seek to protect the wetland ecosystem through careless sand mining is the big problem. We also have a problem that some of the sand miners are now evading payment of revenue to both the District and central government. It is now a complicated subject in Wakiso District,” he says.

The areas that authorities in Wakiso District point out to be problematic and believed to have the largest number of sand miners that flout the mining and National Environment Management (NEMA) guidelines include areas around Kajjansi Town Council and areas around Mende and Masulita Subcounties.

While the lucrative sand business has provided income and employment to a big number of the youth directly engaged in the mining fields including the transporters, authorities in Wakiso and Mukono District believe the damaged ecosystem at the wetland areas and the open pits left behind by the miners have a devastating impact on the environment.

The concern; Mr Johnson Beebwa Ssemanda, an environmentalist and a Climate change actor contends that while the booming construction industry is now a major employer of a big section of the youth that are engaged the sand mining, transportation and actual building; the impact of unregulated sand mining spells doom in climate change mitigation.

“When you fail to fill back the open pits, gullies formed after the sand mining activity, the ecosystem is damaged while the open pits become a big risk to both human and animal life. The scattered open pits at the abandoned former mine areas paint a bad picture in the fight to protect the environment,” he says.

In Luweero and Nakaseke District that now provide the bulk of the sand used at the different construction sites for the metropolitan Kampala City, the authorities claim the environment management guidelines are non operational since nobody has taken responsibility.

At Kito Village in Katikamu Subcounty, Luweero District where sand mining has for the past four years created unattended to open pits that are hundreds of meters wide, the LC1 Chairperson Mr David Ssemwanga Lutaaya piles the blame on both the landlords and enforcers of the mining policies that default on their respective duty to protect the environment.

“I have no authority to stop anybody from mining sand on their respective land because several possess the licenses and conduct the activity unsupervised. After the sand mining and murrum extraction, the open pits come back to haunt the innocent residents,” he says.

This village (Kito) at one time provided the bulk of food supplied to the urban areas of Wobulenzi Town in Luweero District but a big percentage of the land is now covered with open pits that are non productive. We have also registered accidents including drowning in areas where the pits have large amounts of water, Mr Ssemwanga reveals.

The blame game; While the respective District Local Governments claim that some of the sand miners are licensed and under the direct supervision of NEMA,  a section of the environment officers at the Districts say they blame the inadequate supervision of the different sand mining areas to the limited funds available for monitoring the miners at the respective mining fields.

Mr George Abel Nkugwa, the Nakaseke District Natural Resources Officer is concerned that a large percentage of the sand miners do not implement the restoration orders at the respective mine fields.

“District through the Department of Natural Resources in Nakaseke is limited by the funding gap to effectively monitor the different sand mining fields that are in most cases located in areas that are distant. By the time we visit these areas for a follow up, we are welcomed by the open pits and the miners have possibly relocated to unknown areas outside the district,” he says.

Mr Nkugwa identifies the most affected Subcounties with abandoned open pits in Nakaseke District that include Kapeeka, Semuto, Kikamulo and Kito. The restoration orders have been ignored in most of these areas, he says.

Nakaseke District LC5 Chairperson Mr Ignatius Kiwanuka Koomu is concerned that while the former sand mines become unproductive because of the open pits and damaged vegetation, the access road networks have been degraded.

“The sand miners are unruly and very unruly. The sand trucks have damaged most of the rural roads network. The blame is partially on the government that licenses the miners. Some of the mining companies belong to big people that are untouchable,” he says.

The sand mining cartels;

Because sand has become a lucrative business for the construction industry, ceramics among other uses, the actors seem to be on the loose and out to exploit every opportunity at their respective door step.

Mr Livingstone Ssembajwe Kamanja, a retired Geologist and environmentalist says that the actors in the sand mining industry are very powerful and many could be bi-passing the licensing guidelines but too powerful to be checked by the environment officers at the different District Local Governments.

“Both the licensed and unlicensed sand miners are very powerful groups that have taken advantage of the enforcement loopholes through deliberate illegal mining. The environment law enforcers are thinly spread,” he says.

Who mines the sand, murrum?

The mining licenses for the sand and murrum like any other minerals are obtained from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development under the Mineral and Mining regulations 2023. The licensing guidelines bind the companies and individuals to the laws governing the environment including the restoration plan. But a snip check at more than 70% of the abandoned sand mines are degraded and left with open pits. This is against the guidelines.

The law

In 2015, the government issued guidelines for sand mining that require the refilling of the mined areas in line with environment management policies. The mining policy guidelines the miners to demarcate the mining fields and have in place the environment rehabilitation plan before a mining license is issued. All the open pits must be refilled with earth to foster vegetation growth.

The National Environnent Management Act 2019, under the “management and utilization of wetlands”, Section 3(a) states that the wetland resources shall be utilized in a sustainable manner compatible with the continued presence of the wetlands under their hydrological functions and service.

The same Act, under the “restrictions on the use of wetlands” states that a person shall not without written permission from authorizing authority reclaim or drain any wetland or disturb any wetland by drilling or tunneling in a manner that has or is likely to have adverse effect on the wetland.