environment 28 April 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Bol Nyapo: The 'Cursed' Sand Mining Site Endangering Lives and River Obim in Lira
In Bol Nyapo village, Ogur Sub-county, Lira District, desperate residents risk their lives mining sand from River Obim to survive, driven by demand from Lira City. The activity has scarred the landscape with borrow pits, polluted the water, and prompted calls for sustainable alternatives amid failed enforcement efforts. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/bol-nyapo-cursed-sand-mining-field-where-locals-dig-own-graves-5439020
In Bol Nyapo Village, Akangi Parish, Ogur Sub-county, Lira District, hundreds of locals, including widows and youth, have turned to sand mining along River Obim as their main source of income. A single truckload fetches Shs800,000, enough to cover school fees and basics for families like that of 34-year-old widow Christine Angom, who supports her four children this way.
Fueled by construction demand in Lira City, trucks arrive daily, but the work is deadly. Riverbanks are unstable, with a man buried alive by collapsing sand in 2025. Locals call the site ‘cursed,’ believing miners are digging their own graves, yet poverty leaves few choices—farming yields little, and post-LRA war resettlement destroyed other opportunities.
The practice, which started small 17 years ago, has exploded into a village-wide industry crossing into Alebtong District. Almost every household now quarries sand, abandoning other pursuits except a few in fish farming or beekeeping.
Environmental damage is severe: the once-clear river water has turned turbid brown from sedimentation, flow is disrupted, and borrow pits hold stagnant green water linked to bilharzia. Bank erosion pollutes downstream supplies used for drinking and cooking, while the water table drops, threatening wetlands and boreholes.
Local leaders like Ogur CDO Sharon Acen Ego and LC3 chairman Michael Odongo note enforcement challenges due to reliance on this income. Authorities have halted revenue collection to discourage it and shifted to sensitization, but many resist leaving.
Experts from the Ministry of Water and Environment, including Paskwale Kerudong, urge mindset shifts toward sustainable livelihoods like herbal harvesting or crafts that coexist with wetlands. Join for Water’s Isaiah Ndungo highlights community willingness to cooperate after observing the site’s woes during a recent visit.
Residents like Richard Obua promote fish farming and beekeeping as proven alternatives to break the cycle of poverty and destruction.
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)