Mityana, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |Stakeholders from the mining sector asked the government for investments in restoration and conservation of the environment to artisanal miners, as a way to combat the adverse effects of climate changes in the country.
Chris Musiime, Programmes Director for Africa Center for Energy and Mineral Policy ACEMP, stated that regulations are needed to make the conditions for them after the enactment the mining law.
He cited as examples the creation of zones and the strengthening of inspection to ensure compliance with the law by miners.
Musiime stated that the regulation requires the government to empower local governments where mining takes place. Currently, licenses were issued through the directorate for geological survey and mines. However, licenses will now be issued by Musiime under the new law.
He stated that it was policy that the local authorities should be involved in the licensing process because licenses are issued to areas that cover protected areas, as the local authorities are not involved.
He also revealed that over 90% of gold mining in Uganda is done by artisanal methods, as the country has very few large-scale mechanized medium-sized mining companies.
Musiime explained that environment, conservation, and ecosystem maintenance are very important challenges in the mining sector. He said that gold is found in protected areas, national parks, forests, like the Buhweju area, done in the central region’s wetlands, while it is in the eastern region near Lake Victoria. Because gold mining involves digging the ground, he said that crops and forests cannot survive. Worse, they use mercury in the extraction and processing stages.
Musiime explained to us that underground mining, such as gold and tin is difficult. Musiime said that they need a lot of wood to strengthen the tunnels. However, it doesn’t restore the forests where it was cut.
Musiime, while praising the government for legalizing artifact mining, appealed to the environment watchdog and authorities to set boundaries and establish zones for artisanal mines. Musiime stated that while the investment in medium mining operations is substantial, the operators are still covering some of the environmental challenges because they are doing a formal operation.
He believed that informal operations do not provide the operators with the incentive to put in conservation measures.
Musiime addressed the stakeholders at the Solidaridad in Mityana, Advocacy Organization. He spoke out in support of enabling policies to support artisanal gold miners in the gold value chains. This will ensure that the environment is protected and rights are respected.
Alex Amanya, the Solidaridad programmes office stated that they organized the meeting under the claim for sustainability programme. They are trying to ensure that workers in the gold mining industry have a voice.
He said that stakeholders are required to ensure natural resource management and fair value distribution. Amanya indicated that they are working hard to ensure that the environment is maintained for future generations. He warned that if the players fail to respect the environment, it would negatively impact the environment.
However, Emmanuel Kibirige, Secretary General of Uganda Association of Artisanal and Small Scale Miners, stated that small-scale miners are responsible for the negative effects on the environment because they don’t have the money to buy excavators and do not use tanks. They use tanks to extract the minerals.
He explained that artisanal miners don’t go below 5 feet so their impact on the environment is minimal. Kibirige explained that while mining can have adverse effects on the environment, large-scale mining is regulated and well-known. This allows for the focus to shift to the unknown.
Kibirige stated that licences are issued with terms of reference and that if a miner does not comply with these terms, the license may be cancelled.
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