Local leaders at Nakasajja in Kyampisi Sub county Mukono district have restricted community quarrying activities after walls collapsed killing a teenager on Tuesday evening.
Timothy Bukenya, 18, was buried in a quarry where he was excavating stones together with his father Richard Kisinga. Stone blasting is among the major activities carried out in this community manually by residents who mainly use hoes to excavate stones from their gardens.
However, local leaders claim that soils on top of quarries are much softened following heavy rains experienced these past days putting them at the verge of caving in once interrupted with daily activities.
The Nakasajja Chairperson in charge of quarrying activities Jimmy Matovu says they have warned residents against visiting their sites whenever it rains to avoid risking their lives.
“Our area has received much rainfall that has left soil in many quarrying areas softened but still we have been insisting on going there to find ends meat”
The LC3 Chairperson Ismael Kabambwe notes that it is now mandatory for residents to inform the local committee members in charge of quarries before embarking on any activity in their gardens.
“We trust the committee members with their experience in these sites to advise especially youths on the likely dangers. Since this is the common business in the area, families end up in quarries to dig and carry stones without thinking of risks.”
Justine Kyalimpa a resident in the area says survival during this period of covid-19 has been difficult to the entire community leaving no option to men, women and their children other than working in quarries. She notes that poverty situation is forcing many youths within the area into sites regardless of environmental hazards.
“Most youths are involved in bodaboda business which currently not productive without passengers and luggages in the area”
Kisinga who lost the son in a quarry yesterday says also his son dropped his bodaboda and joined him to work in a quarry but unfortunately soil covered him.
“He took somedays complaining for lacking money until he decided to join me in the quarry to dig as I carry stones but unfortunately he was it covered him”
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