Joseph Miti
29 September 2008
Residents of Kiryamuli Parish, Gombe Sub-county in Wakiso District have asked the government to halt operations of two stone quarries saying they are a threat to their lives and property.
Residents who talked to Daily Monitor last week, said the two quarries located at Nalugombe village, emit dust and smoke, hence polluting the surrounding environment.
They claimed that the excavations cause noise pollution during day and night as well as contaminating streams and wells rendering the water unfit water for domestic use. "Our houses have been severely damaged due to daily tremors and flying stones," Ms Christine Namirembe, said on Monday. "We gave up keeping birds or animals. Birds can no longer lay eggs and animals have no pasture to feed on."
Daily Monitor visited the area and saw dust had covered the.
Many houses had cracks and perforations were evident in most roofs near the quarry.
The two quarries, one functioning and another in its installation stage, had no signposts showing companies owning or mining the stones. But Daily Monitor has reliably learnt that the operational quarry belongs to Energo project, a company currently constructing Luweero-Gulu highway. Gombe Sub-County Chairman Sempebwa said the situation was bad.
Mr Thomas Kisawuzi, of Nature Africa Green Beauty, an environment advocacy organisation, said tremors caused during blasts at the quarry are felt a long distance from the spot.
"Due to tremors, three women have had miscarriages, some residents have developed eye complications and those suffering from diseases such as hypertension are more vulnerable," Mr Kisawuzi claimed displaying medical statements of those who had miscarriages.
But Energo project blaster Fred Mago, dismissed the allegations by the residents. He said due to continuous complaints, the company has on several cases contacted the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) to carry out an environment impact assessment, but on each attempt the allegations have been disproved.
But in the meeting held in March with residents and District Chairman Ian Kyeyune, Mr Mago said the company agreed to compensate on a daily basis all properties destroyed in the process, indicating that there was some damage done after all.
"Since that meeting, things changed and we have been paying whatever damages we cause by repairing the affected parts in case it is a house," Mr Mago said adding, "The problem we are facing is that most houses are too weak because they were constructed temporarily and have lasted for over 10 years,"
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