By Willy Chowoo
Uganda’s wetlands, lakeshores, and riverbanks face a significant threat from illegal sand mining, posing severe environmental challenges. Wetlands, which constitute 11% of the country’s total land area, are especially vulnerable. The practice of illicit sand mining is not only an environmental issue but also a legal and economic one that the Ugandan government is now determined to tackle through stringent measures.
The Rising Threat of Illicit Sand Mining
Northern Uganda is the latest region to experience the adverse effects of illicit sand mining. The most affected areas include Pakwach and Adjumani in the West Nile sub-region, and Agago, Amuru, and Gulu districts in the Acholi sub-region. These areas are witnessing the degradation of their wetlands and rivers due to unregulated sand extraction activities.
The return of peace in Northern Uganda after decades of armed conflict between the government and the Lord’s Resistance Army brought about numerous infrastructural development projects. These projects were intended to reconstruct and rehabilitate the war-torn region. However, the high demand for construction materials, particularly river and pit sands, has put immense pressure on the region’s natural resources, including wetlands and rivers.
River and pit sands are highly sought after for their quality as construction materials. They are used in the construction of roads, markets, bridges, schools, health centers, and other infrastructure projects. The high demand for these materials has incentivized many individuals and businesses to engage in commercial sand mining, often illegally, compromising the integrity of the environment and infrastructure.
Government’s Response to the Crisis
To address the burgeoning issue of illicit sand mining, the Ugandan government is considering implementing stricter measures on the issuance of operational licenses for sand miners. Tony Acidria, the Public Relations Officer at the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), emphasized the need for new guidelines to regulate the sand mining industry.
Acidria explained that the new guidelines would require individual miners to register as groups. By doing so, it would be easier to regulate them as a single entity operating in a particular area. He noted that the commercial nature of sand mining in Uganda has become a significant issue, contrasting with the past when sand was primarily used for domestic purposes, such as building houses. 
Challenges of Unregulated Sand Mining
In Northern Uganda, sand mining is predominantly conducted by individuals who cumulatively engage in commercial-scale activities. However, these individuals often lack the necessary operational licenses, making their activities illegal. This unregulated mining violates existing guidelines, which stipulate that anyone or any group involved in the commercial production of sand must have an operational license.
The guidelines also require miners to restore mined areas after extraction and to adhere to permissible extraction limits, such as the depth of sand extraction. Unfortunately, these regulations are often ignored, leading to environmental degradation and the destruction of habitats.
Acidria highlighted that most of the sand mining activities along the Ayugi River in Northern Uganda are small-scale operations conducted by individuals. Cumulatively, however, these activities amount to commercial-scale extraction, making regulation difficult.
Legal and Environmental Framework
In Uganda, it is illegal to encroach on wetlands or rivers for any activity. The Mining Act of 2003 provides environmental protection safeguards to mitigate damage to the environment. This includes the requirement for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) before any activity can take place in wetlands. Despite these regulations, the recent wave of sand mining in Northern Uganda often proceeds without the necessary EIA, exacerbating environmental damage.
NEMA’s new guidelines aim to address these challenges by organizing miners into groups for better regulation. Additionally, the guidelines will require all commercial users of sand to purchase sand from licensed miners only. This measure is expected to cut off the demand for illegally mined sand and compel those engaged in sand mining to obtain licenses, ensuring better regulation.
Impact on Local Communities and Environment
The impact of illicit sand mining on local communities and the environment is profound. In the Acholi sub-region, areas such as Kalango River in Agago District, Owor Pit in Gulu District, and various hotspots along Ayugi River in Otorokume, Acupelle, Pupwonya North villages, and Apwomunu Village at River Ceri in Amuru District are severely affected.
Sand mining in these areas not only degrades the environment but also disrupts local ecosystems. The destruction of habitats along River Ayugi, for example, affects freshwater turtles and other living organisms. The illicit activity also compromises infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, by removing sand necessary for their stability.
Quality of Sand and Its Uses
According to the Gulu Regional Materials Laboratory under the Ministry of Works and Transport, river sand is preferred for its smooth, rounded, and fine quality grains, which are ideal for a broad range of construction purposes, including plastering. Pit sand, on the other hand, is favored for concreting due to its rough, angular, sharp, and harsh grains, which are free from salts and other impurities.
Engineer Odokonyero Charles, a civil engineer and project managing director at Odokonyero’s Company Ltd Uganda, has undertaken numerous road and building constructions in Southern Africa, East Africa, and Northern Uganda. He prefers river sand for its high quality, cleanliness, and lack of impurities, which make it suitable for quality control in construction projects.
Economic Aspects of Sand Mining
The economic aspects of sand mining are significant. In this business, landowners rent out wetlands to miners, charging them UGX 20,000 ($5.6) per Sino truck trip. Some individuals have even gone as far as buying wetlands along riverbanks, turning them into mining centers. The average cost price for a trip of Sino truck sand from the miners is UGX 300,000 ($83), while the selling price in the city can reach UGX 1,500,000 ($416.7).
Sand mining is a trans-night business in Gulu City, where Sino trucks are seen loading sand multiple times daily. The sub-counties where this business takes place charge sand buyers UGX 5,000 ($1.4) per truck as tax, regardless of the size, and miners UGX 20,000 ($5.6) per month.
Government Policies and Enforcement
The responsibility of regulating sand mining and protecting wetlands falls under the National Wetlands Policy of 1995 and the National Environment Act of 2019. These policies aim to establish fully protected wetland areas and ensure the sustainable management of wetlands, riverbanks, lakeshores, and natural beaches.
However, the illicit activity on wetlands and riverbanks continues to damage habitats along River Ayugi. In Pupwonya North Village, an investor has bought a piece of land in the wetland, fenced it off, and set up a sand mining center. The sand is sold at high prices in Gulu City, exacerbating the issue.
Akera Samuel, the chairperson of Attiak Sub County, mentioned that recent district funding would be used to demarcate wetland areas to prevent encroachment. Local governments in areas where sand mining occurs are often unaware of the transactions. Lakony Michael, the district chairman of Amuru, admitted that the local government lacks measures to levy significant taxes on commercial sand production.
Amuru District Environment Officer Lanyero Doreen acknowledged the difficulty of monitoring the district’s vast area, allowing illegal miners to exploit resources. Lanyero suggested that the district should determine appropriate tax levels for sellers and buyers to avoid undervaluation. She emphasized the need for the local government to assert its presence and take charge of sub-county leadership.
In Adjumani District, local government officials are grappling with the issues stemming from sand mining. District Chairman Ben Anyama mentioned that he has yet to visit the mining site at Cheri waterstream, adding that the road damage has not been brought to the district’s attention.
Adjumani District Environment Officer Ebeu Charles acknowledged the presence of significant mining activities at Cheri waterstream and stated that the district has yet to take action. “That area has a lot of sand mining, but as a district, we need to enforce regulations to reduce the rate of sand mining and also focus on restoration efforts.”
Impact on Education
One of the immediate impacts of sand mining is on children’s education. Many children are abandoning school to engage in sand mining due to the lucrativeness of the business and the lack of age restrictions. At Ayugi Bridge mining site, children are often seen digging river sand during school days instead of attending classes. Some children have abandoned school entirely due to the poor road conditions that prevent them from accessing schools, while others are mining to earn school fees.
Authorities in Attiak Sub County are aware of the situation and plan to launch operations to rescue these children and hold their parents accountable. “As a sub-county, we have learned of this issue and want to get these children back to school,” stated Akera Samuel, the Chairperson of the sub-county.
In Rwot Obilo Village, Owor Sub County, Gulu District, similar issues are reported. Many school-going children are involved in sand mining, leading to high dropout rates. Sub County Chairperson Okumu Richard noted community complaints about the children’s involvement in mining. “I am yet to visit the site, but I was told the extent of the environmental damage is severe, and the deep sand pits pose a risk to their lives.”
Impact on Healthcare
Illicit sand mining is also depriving communities of healthcare services by making roads inaccessible. During the rainy season, the situation worsens as people are cut off from accessing health facilities.
Lakoot Esther, a 64-year-old resident of Pupwonya North Village in Attiak, shared her struggles: “When people are sick, it takes a long time to reach the health unit. Sometimes you arrive late and leave without getting any medication. When it rains, boda boda cyclists cannot pass through, so you have to stay home with your sickness until the road improves.”
Lakoot also mentioned that the poor road conditions prevent her from attending weekly Village Savings and Loan Association meetings, held 2 kilometers from her home.
Road and Infrastructure Damage
Serious sand mining activities began at this site in 2018 when the community had maintained their roads through the RalNode project. By 2020, the situation deteriorated, with heavy trucks causing culverts along the road to collapse at Awori and Auc water streams.
Otim Daniel Bob, a 25-year-old involved in sand mining, said they received about 25 Sino trucks daily, which severely damaged their roads. “Fish were growing on our roads, there was water everywhere, and we could not move. The sub-county collects taxes from buyers and us, but they don’t repair our roads,” Otim lamented.
Local leaders in Attiak Sub County acknowledge the challenges locals face in accessing services due to the damage caused by sand mining vehicles. Akera Samuel stated, “We want to impose restrictions on the business and will not allow heavy trucks like Sino trucks to use the road because it is of low grade.”
In Pwomunu Village, Wiceri waterstream, Pogo Sub County, Amuru District, severe sand mining activities have rendered community access roads impassable and caused the bridge to collapse, cutting off mobility between Pogo and Dzaipi sub-counties in Adjumani and Amuru districts, respectively. Local leader Akena Charles reported that the area becomes particularly impassable during the rainy season, severing the road between Pagirinya and Pwomunu.
In Pagirinya Village, Dzaipi Sub County, Adjumani District, near the refugee settlement camp, sand mining has negatively impacted community access roads. Local leader Mubuntu William noted that heavy vehicles have damaged culverts, and efforts to get leaders to intervene have been futile.
Adjumani District Chairman Ben Anyama admitted he is aware of the sand mining activities but not the extent of environmental damage. “Yes, there are lorries from Kitgum, Gulu, and Lira coming for river sand, receiving about ten lorries daily. It has taken long, and it has just been brought to our attention.”
Funding Challenges
One of the biggest challenges in managing wetlands and riverbanks in Uganda is the lack of funding for local governments. They heavily rely on donations, local revenue collections, and budget estimates. For example, in the 2021/2022 financial year, Adjumani District allocated only UGX 5,900,000 ($1.6) for community training on wetlands management, UGX 5,000,000 ($1.4) for riverbank and wetland restoration, and UGX 574 million ($159,444) for monitoring and evaluating environmental compliance.
In Amuru District, the same financial year saw UGX 268 million ($74,444) allocated for Natural Resource Management, with only UGX 2 million ($5,555.6) for community training in wetland management, UGX 8 million ($2,222) for monitoring and evaluating environmental compliance, and UGX 5.5 million ($1,527.8) for riverbank and wetland restoration.
In Gulu District, UGX 2.8 million ($777.8) was allocated for monitoring and evaluating environmental compliance, UGX 1 million for riverbank and wetland restoration, and UGX 1.3 million ($) for community training in wetland management out of the total UGX 261 million ($72,500) allocated for natural resources management in the 2021/2022 financial year.
Residents in areas affected by sand mining urge the government to repair their roads to alleviate the burden caused by the mining activities.
Future Prospects and Recommendations
Opiyo Christopher, the chairman of Gulu District Local Government, acknowledged awareness of the sand mining business but was uncertain about district revenues from it. He noted the impact of sand mining on local roads and infrastructure. In Adjumani District, the district chairman, Ben Anyama, plans to visit the Cheri water stream mining site. He mentioned that road damage due to sand mining had not yet been reported to the district.
The future of sand mining in Uganda will depend on the effective implementation and enforcement of new regulations. By organizing miners into groups, requiring operational licenses, and ensuring EIAs are conducted, the government aims to mitigate the environmental impact of sand mining.
Additionally, public awareness campaigns about the legal and environmental consequences of illicit sand mining could help reduce the practice. Educating local communities about the importance of sustainable sand mining practices and the benefits of obtaining proper licenses may encourage compliance with regulations.
In conclusion, Uganda’s government is taking significant steps to regulate illicit sand mining to protect its wetlands, lakeshores, and riverbanks. The new guidelines from NEMA aim to organize miners into groups, require operational licenses, and ensure that sand mining activities are conducted sustainably. By addressing the legal, economic, and environmental challenges associated with sand mining, Uganda hopes to preserve its natural resources for future generations.
This story was initially published in 2023
