Kyewaga forest suffers as sand mining takes its toll
Apr 10, 2005
As Non Governmental Organisations and government bodies advocate for the conservation forests, in Kyewaga forest reserve the opposite is taking place.
By Thomas Pere
As Non Governmental Organisations and government bodies advocate for the conservation forests, in Kyewaga forest reserve the opposite is taking place.
Kyewaga forest which is located 10 kilometers on Entebbe Road near Abaita-ababiri may not exist in few years to come if nobody intervenes to halt the sand mining taking place there.
In this 209 hectares of forest exists two separate sand mines, Kayiirira and Kintida. As these mines expand, trees are uprooted to uncover the sand deposits underground. The trees also fall due to landslides created by the deep depressions and others dry up or are blown by wind when their roots get destroyed due to exposure.
“In the sand deposits here, there are different types of sand. Talk of pure white, it’s there, pure yellow, black among others, said Mark Mbazira, a sand miner in the forest.
The mine is busy, day and night with trucks fetching sand. Most of it is taken to Kampala to meet the ever-growing demand from the construction industry. A truck full of sand costs between sh15,000 to sh80,000 depending on the quality of sand and the size of the truck.
“Apart from local councils telling us to occasionally repair roads damaged by the heavy trucks, the authorities have never interfered with our work,†said Mbazira.
“Except some people who were claiming they come from National Environment Authority and forest department used to get money monthly from us. But we realised they were conmen, so now nobody bothers us,†he said.
Due to its hidden location, it is hard to know the effects of the sand mine which started in the 1990s in this forest. About two square kilometer of vegetation has been destroyed, leaving a deep depression, which has formed small lakes.
Apart from the tree destruction and increasing soil erosion, the tree species are also disappearing at an alarming rate leaving only eucalyptus trees.
Herbert Sekandi, Nkumba Central LC1 chairman, whose area borders the forest said “It’s sad that the forest is getting depleted but the problem is with forest department not the local people.
“The forest department allocated plots to individuals in the forest to grow crops while also planting trees, but they have never made any follow up.â€
Sekandi says they had no technical knowledge on matters concerning forest management and appealed to the National Forest Authority (NFA) to visit the forest regularly and enlighten the people. Besides sand mining, brick laying, grazing of animals, gathering of firewood and selling of food to the miners also takes place in the forest.
In spite of the degradation caused by the sand mining, most local leaders are reluctant to intervene. This is because the mine brings revenue by creating employment opportunities.
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Specialist of National Forest Authority (NFA) Paul Buyera said mining was supposed to be done after an EIA had been carried out.
Buyera said sand mining in a forest lowers the water table around the trees hence affecting their growth. The depressions it causes make it hard for replanting. The removal of the top soil to uncover sand exposes infertile soil layer. He said the effects of deforestation, that brings global warming, should not be forgotten.
NFA’s public relations officer, Grace Rwomushana said Kyewaga forest reserve in Busiro county, Mpigi forest zone belongs to NFA. It is in a category of forests called central forest reserves which are 506 in Uganda. She said they had suspended sand mining and any sand mining in that forest was illegal.
Rwomushana also said they were working out a policy for handling sand mining in forests.
Ends
As Non Governmental Organisations and government bodies advocate for the conservation forests, in Kyewaga forest reserve the opposite is taking place.
Kyewaga forest which is located 10 kilometers on Entebbe Road near Abaita-ababiri may not exist in few years to come if nobody intervenes to halt the sand mining taking place there.
In this 209 hectares of forest exists two separate sand mines, Kayiirira and Kintida. As these mines expand, trees are uprooted to uncover the sand deposits underground. The trees also fall due to landslides created by the deep depressions and others dry up or are blown by wind when their roots get destroyed due to exposure.
“In the sand deposits here, there are different types of sand. Talk of pure white, it’s there, pure yellow, black among others, said Mark Mbazira, a sand miner in the forest.
The mine is busy, day and night with trucks fetching sand. Most of it is taken to Kampala to meet the ever-growing demand from the construction industry. A truck full of sand costs between sh15,000 to sh80,000 depending on the quality of sand and the size of the truck.
“Apart from local councils telling us to occasionally repair roads damaged by the heavy trucks, the authorities have never interfered with our work,†said Mbazira.
“Except some people who were claiming they come from National Environment Authority and forest department used to get money monthly from us. But we realised they were conmen, so now nobody bothers us,†he said.
Due to its hidden location, it is hard to know the effects of the sand mine which started in the 1990s in this forest. About two square kilometer of vegetation has been destroyed, leaving a deep depression, which has formed small lakes.
Apart from the tree destruction and increasing soil erosion, the tree species are also disappearing at an alarming rate leaving only eucalyptus trees.
Herbert Sekandi, Nkumba Central LC1 chairman, whose area borders the forest said “It’s sad that the forest is getting depleted but the problem is with forest department not the local people.
“The forest department allocated plots to individuals in the forest to grow crops while also planting trees, but they have never made any follow up.â€
Sekandi says they had no technical knowledge on matters concerning forest management and appealed to the National Forest Authority (NFA) to visit the forest regularly and enlighten the people. Besides sand mining, brick laying, grazing of animals, gathering of firewood and selling of food to the miners also takes place in the forest.
In spite of the degradation caused by the sand mining, most local leaders are reluctant to intervene. This is because the mine brings revenue by creating employment opportunities.
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Specialist of National Forest Authority (NFA) Paul Buyera said mining was supposed to be done after an EIA had been carried out.
Buyera said sand mining in a forest lowers the water table around the trees hence affecting their growth. The depressions it causes make it hard for replanting. The removal of the top soil to uncover sand exposes infertile soil layer. He said the effects of deforestation, that brings global warming, should not be forgotten.
NFA’s public relations officer, Grace Rwomushana said Kyewaga forest reserve in Busiro county, Mpigi forest zone belongs to NFA. It is in a category of forests called central forest reserves which are 506 in Uganda. She said they had suspended sand mining and any sand mining in that forest was illegal.
Rwomushana also said they were working out a policy for handling sand mining in forests.
Ends