May 26, 2021
By Dodson A. Musa
Granite is the stone (rock) that is very common in the hills and mountains found in Sierra Leone. Its composition makes it suitable for concrete works. Granite has helped in the construction of bridges, houses, roads and other structures in Sierra Leone. And these are structures that are guaranteed to last decades without easily giving way. It is so common in Sierra Leone that it has made the construction industry in the country attractive to even foreigners. Granite mining is done on varying degrees in this country. There are individuals who are engaged in it and they break small stones using hammer after heating it with fire which reduces its compactness. Families are engaged in it as a sole source of income for the sustenance of husband, wife and children. And on the large scale , companies are using machines to mine stone for major works in the process creating quarries. Depending on which size is needed for work, if rock is to be broken down using the bare hand it is first heat by fire before breaking down using hammer or strong iron.
These activities have left mountains sliced, hills reduced and craters created around the country. The land topography has been distorted which has left a good part of our land exposed to erosion, diversion of waterways and wiping out of the ecosystem in some areas. No doubt, stone mining has created informal jobs for many people, has helped put money into some peoples pocket and food on the table for so many others . Granite does not seem like a renewable natural resource and therefore its mining is said not to be a sustainable means of livelihood. Whilst its mining carries with it health risks especially to those small- scale miners who do not use protective gear, its environmental impact is what has really raised eyebrows and got people concerned. Stone-mining has left many areas of our land vulnerable to mudslide, landslide, erosion and land degradation. As we have started experiencing mudslides and flooding to devastating effects which is due in part to stone-mining activities around the country. The last incident at Mortomeh in which thousands died was as a result of stone mining in part. This one incidence drew the attention of the world to Sierra Leone again as an unsafe place to live.
For government to make sure people mine stone (granite) with some sense of responsibility and with due regard to the environment, laws have to be put in place stringently. This is so that the practice becomes sustainable. Also alternative means of livelihood must be presented to citizens so that their lives go on without stone mining. Skills training for self-reliance and making the economy investor-friendly so that jobs are available. This is because as risky as stone mining can be, people are still very attracted to it because good jobs in this country are few and far between. Instead of starving to death or staying in perpetual penury or involving in crime, stone mining has got so many lives going in this country. And Sierra Leone as we know, just emerging from war and still badly in need of post-war reconstruction, stone mining is an enterprise that is hard to resist. Our natural rocks especially granite are very priced in a time of post-war reconstruction but extracting them and processing them for use have environmental consequences which as the world is awakening to issues of climate change something needs to be done and with a matter of urgency as government does not seem to be paying attention enough to the rampant stone mining which people are doing out of the need to survive instead of being an activity made out of choice.