The gravel quarries that claimed the lives of nearly 20 victims before the Government moved to close them down are back in operation, clandestinely threatening to cause further deaths.
The rock and sand mining pits, located within the Ilkurot plains of
Olkokola Ward in the Arumeru District were closed in June last year,
after they were declared ‘extremely dangerous zone’ by authorities, having
killed more than 16 people due to regular cave-ins.
The Mukulat Division Officer, Mr Isaack Kaserian said he wrote to the
former District Commissioner for Arumeru, Mr Nyirembe Munasa Sabi
complaining of the life-threatening quarries as almost every week one
or two people lost their lives.
There are over 100 active pits in these dangerous
mines. These are surrounded
by three villages, which include Lengijave, Ilkurot and
Olkejulenderit. For
years they have served as a convenient source of sand, gravel
and rocks, which are used for construction projects in Arusha City.
However, this is at the cost of human lives.
The former DC, Munasa-Sabi ordered the closure of the mines but as soon as
he was transferred to Mbeya, the residents returned to the mines and
resumed the excavation processes once more.
A visit to the remote mining area revealed at
least 45 tipper trucks
carrying sand, rocks and gravel from the pits and the number of
such
vehicle may reach 50 in a single day. Workers range between 200
and 300. They work in deep, claustrophobic mines lit by open-flamed
traditional lamps.
Most of the mining activities take place during the night and once the sun
rises, the diggers - mostly men - leave the quarries, and women as well as
children take over the tasks of carrying whatever has been dug inside the
mines, from the pits to the surface at the cost of 100/- per sack.
The Arusha-Rural District Council’s Director, Mr Fidelis Lumatu said he has
never visited the mines and if these quarries were closed then it is no longer
his business; “I think the Regional Mining Office should be responsible for
the problem but certainly not my office,” he stated
But when further questioned why he was not reinforcing the directive of ensuring
the quarries remained out of the bounds, Mr Lumatu said there was nothing
wrong because the mines provided employment to locals.
As to what will happen, in his opinion, should the mines cave in again onto
the diggers as it was the case before, the Director’s answer was even more
baffling; “We don’t anticipate that, but if people die; Well, we shall
burry them as usual!