including water pollution, destruction of the vegetation and excavation of pits and
trenches which destroys the aesthetic beauty of the landscape.
14
The Uganda Land Policy identifies different causes of soil degradation such as
inappropriate use of arable land including excessive cultivation, cropping too frequently, inadequate fertilization or baring of the soils through grazing or removal of
crop residues.
15 Sand mining does not feature conspicuously as one of them in spite
of scientifically documented evidence to that effect. As it were, sand mining along
the Kampala–Masaka highway, for example, is causing the silting of Lake Victoria
thus depriving fish and other aquatic lives of breeding grounds. In the same vein,
sand mining is a direct cause of erosion, and impacts the local wildlife.
16 Various
animals depend on sandy beaches for nesting clutches, and mining has led to the near
extinction of gharials (a species of crocodile). Disturbance of underwater and coastal
sand causes turbidity in the water, which is harmful for organisms like coral that
need sunlight for their survival. It can also destroy fisheries, causing financial loses
to fish farmers.
Destruction of physical coastal barriers, such as dunes, sometimes leads to
flooding of beachside communities, and the destruction of picturesque beaches
causes tourism to suffer incalculable set back. Sand mining is regulated by law in
many places, but is often done illegally. Globally, it is a $70 billion industry, with
sand selling at up to $90 per cubic yard.
This, it must be reemphasised, has to a large extent contributed to land degradation
and desertification through the destruction of economically important trees, mostly
indigenous in nature. The practice leaves in trail bare soil and a large expanse of
gullies which can collect water during rainy seasons. This can result not only in
health-related problems for local communities, but can cause negative impacts on the
environment as well as agricultural productivity. More specifically such effects
include loss/reduction of farmlands and grazing lands, source of breeding grounds
for mosquitoes and spread of diseases, erosion, loss of vegetation or fertility, loss of
biodiversity and economically important trees, destruction of landscape and beauty,
sand and dust pollution and pollution of underground water.
17 In the US, for example,
the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource (WDNR) released in 2012 a final
report on the silica sand mining in Wisconsin titled Silica Sand Mining in Wisconsin.
18 The recent boom in silica sand mining has caused concern from residents in
Wisconsin on issues that include quality of life issues and the threat of silicosis.
According to the WDNR these issues include noise, lights, hours of operation,
damage and excessive wear to roads from trucking traffic, public safety concerns
14 Daily Monitor (September 30th, 2016).
15 Uganda Land Policy (2013), Par 1.4.1.
16 According to Ministry of Animal Industry, Agriculture and Fisheries, 46% of Uganda’s soil is
already degraded with 10% being highly degraded. See MAAF (2019).
17 Saviour (2012), pp. 125, 131.
18 According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Report (2017), there are currently
no less than thirty-four active mines and twenty-five mines in development in Wisconsin.
The Legal Framework for Sand Mining in Uganda
105
trenches which destroys the aesthetic beauty of the landscape.
14
The Uganda Land Policy identifies different causes of soil degradation such as
inappropriate use of arable land including excessive cultivation, cropping too frequently, inadequate fertilization or baring of the soils through grazing or removal of
crop residues.
15 Sand mining does not feature conspicuously as one of them in spite
of scientifically documented evidence to that effect. As it were, sand mining along
the Kampala–Masaka highway, for example, is causing the silting of Lake Victoria
thus depriving fish and other aquatic lives of breeding grounds. In the same vein,
sand mining is a direct cause of erosion, and impacts the local wildlife.
16 Various
animals depend on sandy beaches for nesting clutches, and mining has led to the near
extinction of gharials (a species of crocodile). Disturbance of underwater and coastal
sand causes turbidity in the water, which is harmful for organisms like coral that
need sunlight for their survival. It can also destroy fisheries, causing financial loses
to fish farmers.
Destruction of physical coastal barriers, such as dunes, sometimes leads to
flooding of beachside communities, and the destruction of picturesque beaches
causes tourism to suffer incalculable set back. Sand mining is regulated by law in
many places, but is often done illegally. Globally, it is a $70 billion industry, with
sand selling at up to $90 per cubic yard.
This, it must be reemphasised, has to a large extent contributed to land degradation
and desertification through the destruction of economically important trees, mostly
indigenous in nature. The practice leaves in trail bare soil and a large expanse of
gullies which can collect water during rainy seasons. This can result not only in
health-related problems for local communities, but can cause negative impacts on the
environment as well as agricultural productivity. More specifically such effects
include loss/reduction of farmlands and grazing lands, source of breeding grounds
for mosquitoes and spread of diseases, erosion, loss of vegetation or fertility, loss of
biodiversity and economically important trees, destruction of landscape and beauty,
sand and dust pollution and pollution of underground water.
17 In the US, for example,
the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource (WDNR) released in 2012 a final
report on the silica sand mining in Wisconsin titled Silica Sand Mining in Wisconsin.
18 The recent boom in silica sand mining has caused concern from residents in
Wisconsin on issues that include quality of life issues and the threat of silicosis.
According to the WDNR these issues include noise, lights, hours of operation,
damage and excessive wear to roads from trucking traffic, public safety concerns
14 Daily Monitor (September 30th, 2016).
15 Uganda Land Policy (2013), Par 1.4.1.
16 According to Ministry of Animal Industry, Agriculture and Fisheries, 46% of Uganda’s soil is
already degraded with 10% being highly degraded. See MAAF (2019).
17 Saviour (2012), pp. 125, 131.
18 According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Report (2017), there are currently
no less than thirty-four active mines and twenty-five mines in development in Wisconsin.
The Legal Framework for Sand Mining in Uganda
105