Environmental, Health and Safety Intricacies of Artisanal Mining in the Gold-rich Landscapes of Karamoja, North-Eastern Uganda

Artisanal small-scale gold mining presents opportunities for Uganda’s rural poor. However, it also poses serious environmental, health and safety challenges. A suite of data collection methods including interviews, focus groups discussions, water soils sampling were used to examine the perceptions miners on status, prevalence extent mercury use in artisanal mining, transit routes toxicity levels Karamoja sub-region. It explores health, environmental implications The findings show that trade access is widespread; although in, its highly secretive. Traders through a number ways smuggling across porous borderline formal, but covert, importation. Miners then discreetly undercover sales jewellery shops affluent gated communities capital, Kampala. Soil samples showed exceeded minimum acceptable limits 0.03 mg/kg 0.006 mg/l respectively. Further, associated with massive land clearances landscape deformations. has invariably scarred countryside piles waste uncovered pits are source accidents ideal breeding grounds vectors.