Sand miners take over lake shores in Mayuge district

By George Bita

Untill June 5, in a campaign, Save Lake Victoria, Vision Group platforms is  running investigative articles and programmes highlighting the irresponsible human activities threatening the world’s second largest fresh water lake. Today, we explore how residents of Buluba and Masolya villages of Mayuge districts have abandoned fishing and turned to selling lake sand.

Wet grey heaps of sand dot the shoreline in Buluba and Masolya villages of Mayuge district. Occasionally, trucks arrive to ferry away the lake sand to construction sites in Busoga region and beyond.

This is the state of affairs at most beaches along the shores of Lake Victoria in this area that was carved out of Iganga district over 10 years ago.

As the sand quantity reduces, more is scooped from the shallow depths adjoining the beachfront. Youths carrying spades and hoes sweat away in the hot weather to collect the sand and load it onto the lorries.

Vehicle trucks are now conspicuous on the beachfront, but some are not easy to access because of the slippery clay soils. Youngsters in the lakeshore villages often make quick money by pushing the trucks that get stuck on the routes.

Judging from the frequency of the truck-loading activities, it is clear the lake sand is on demand and the miners, together with transporters, are reaping big.

Salim Mugweri, a truck driver, narrates that depending on the distance covered, a truckload of lake sand can fetch about sh200,000. “If you subtract fuel costs and loading cash each trip could imply a profit of approximately sh50,000,” Mugweri adds.

However, no due consideration is given to the affected shoreline of the lake that acts as a habitat of several plants and animals.

George Okuku, a resident of Buluba village, says the sand just washes ashore and the locals go ahead to collect it in heaps for sale.

“The quantity of sand that fills a tipper lorry is worth sh45,000 at the source. Many fishermen have opted to sell lake sand than look for fish which is scarce nowadays,” Okuku says.

Martin Langii, a fisherman at Masolya village, says they used to catch fish from the waterside vegetation near the beach or in muddy stretches, but it is not possible anymore.“Once the sand miners opened up the beaches to extract lake sand, the mud fish became scarce in the area,” Langii reveals.

He adds that the mining venture has interfered with the docking of boats at several landing sites as the otherwiseclear waters now bear a sandy suspension.

“The dirty trucks are also washed in the lake, adding filth to the waters. Sometimes, even our nets have traces of oil that leak into the waters from these vehicles,” Langii says.

Mud fish has been pushed away because of the dirty water at the lake shore

Cossam Waako, the LCI chief of Buluba landing site, says sand mining is now more lucrative than fishing as the fish population gradually reduces.

“Many youth now shun the arduous task of spending nights on the lake looking for fish, yet they can make quick money from sand at the beach,” Waako says.

He says the destruction of the natural shoreline has led to rampant crocodile attacks on humans in the district.

“The crocodiles stay adjacent to the beach and often grab those straying into the shallow waters. Since the beginning of this year, over five fatalities have been reported here,” Waako says.

Musa Lubanga, the district natural resources officer, explains that the sandy beaches are home to a number of plants and animals.

“Man’s interference with the natural ecological set up is bound to cause problems. The crocodiles common in the area lay their eggs and bury them in the sand being removed instead,” Lubanga says.He says lizard species also habit the sand in which they deposit their eggs, but if destroyed, there could be a significant increase in lake flies which could have been fed on.

“The flies are part of the food chains vital in keeping the delicate feeding balance in the water body under control. Removing sand, therefore, directly hurts the living organism composition of the lake,” Lubanga adds.

Mayuge residents loading sand onto a truck

He adds that some victims of crocodile attacks are grabbed by the females as they guard the eggs buried in the sand.
According to Lubanga, the aquatic ecosystem is affected when some of the animals lose their habitats or die off.

“Uncontrolled human activity is having a serious effect on our natural resource. The sand extraction needs to be regulated or else it will destroy the lake,” he says.

Lubanga appeals to locals living by the lakeshores to respect nature so as to save lake Victoria from demise.

 IT’S YOUR TURN
How you can save the lake
You could leave a legacy by mobilising your community to contribute towards a noble goal such as environmental protection or enhancing civic rights and competence of people. Kakungulu in eastern Uganda mobilised people to plant trees. The late Kenyan environmentalist and politician, Maathari Wangari is still remembered for planting trees and promoting rights of women.