Tame silent sandy plunder in Lake Victoria

Fishermen on Lake Victoria. Illegal sand mining is threatening fish stocks and livelihoods. [File, Standard]

A return to Lake Victoria beach roughly 15 years since last visiting has left me asking what humans really want. In those days, the sight of beaches was one to behold, as palm trees rhythmically swung their trunks and leaves in tune with the wind, their sweet sound blending with the waves. It was therapeutic. Fish was plenty.

On this shore in Bondo, Usenge, the palm trees are gone. The beauty faded. After damaging the shoreline and being repelled by the authorities, illegal sand mining has gone deeper into the lake. Instead of boats returning with fish, men can be seen offloading sand.

Lake Victoria, the largest freshwater lake in Africa, and a resource shared between Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania is useful, not just for water, but fish, and livelihoods to millions of fisher-folk. Easy chats with random people near the lake, some of them culprits, link the sand mining hidden in plain sight with the now thriving construction industry, fueled by rapid urbanisation.

Several media reports indicate the same pressure on the lake is exerted in Uganda’s Busia and Jinja districts, and Tanzania’s Mwanza and Mara, with little regard for environmental regulations. While this may be blamed on joblessness and other economic issues, its effects on biodiversity and environment are far reaching. Yet destruction of the shorelines is the most visible now.

Sand is vital for protecting the lake’s edges from erosion. Sand helps the lake maintain its natural flow pattern. Once susceptible to erosion, the lake’s habitats and fish breeding grounds are exposed to many risks, affecting “over 200 endemic fish species”, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Nature plans itself, and interfering with distribution of sand in the water body is a possible source of sedimentation. A 2021 report by UNEP states that sand has become “the second most extracted natural resource globally after water”. Lake Victoria is a victim.

There are some socio-economic dilemmas occasioned by the illegal sand mining. Yes, it is a source of income for the culprits, but it is not sustainable because they have to keep moving to new grounds. Sand mining is also to blame for dwindling fish catches caused by degraded habitats. Most culprits were formerly fishermen.

The risk of flooding is higher for farmers near the shorelines due to eroded banks. A 2022 study by the African Centre for Aquatic Research and Education established that negative effects of sand mining far outweigh associated short-term financial gains.

While Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania governments have laws to tame illegal sand mining, enforcement must increase and corruption decisively dealt with. Still, communities around the lake must actively condemn and be cognizant of the repercussions of sand mining, with the risk of armed cartels and increased crime, which can sabotage the future of EAC.
Community-led monitoring of sand harvesting activities and stricter enforcement of environmental laws will reduce pressure on natural ecosystems and create new economic opportunities for the same people messing the resource.

Coordinated policy interventions, with the East African Community developing a regional framework to regulate sand harvesting in Lake Victoria, prioritising sustainability and balancing economic needs with environmental conservation must work now.

Finally, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania must increase public awareness campaigns on this matter, because many local communities cannot tell the long-term effects of sand harvesting.

This is a call for more efforts to protect this invaluable resource, the jewel of Africa. It is a call to control sand harvesting and implement sustainable alternatives. Enough of research, if recommendations to enable the lake’s wellbeing won’t be implemented. We must safeguard Lake Victoria.

- The writer champions climate justice. [email protected]