Effects of sand mining on land and soil at Buoku in the Wenchi Municipality

Abstract

Sand mining, though vital for development, has significantly altered the land and soil in Buoku, Wenchi Municipality. This study assessed its physical and chemical impacts, stakeholder perspectives, and rehabilitation efforts. Using a concurrent embedded mixed-method design, data were collected from 28 respondents (22 farmers/landowners, 2 sand miners, and 4 government officials) through interviews, field observations, depth measurements, GIS/RS techniques, and laboratory analyses of 13 soil samples from mined and unmined sites. Findings revealed that sand mining in Buoku has shifted from small-scale manual practices to mechanized extraction with payloaders, expanding across more than 5,000 acres and engaging over 200 youth. Economically, many landowners sold land to fund education, medical bills, or housing, yet miners often operated without consent, creating ethical tensions. Physically, mining led to loss of vegetation and farmlands, pit formations, topographical alterations, and severe soil erosion. GIS and RUSLE analyses confirmed increasing soil loss between 2000 and 2022, with “very high” soil loss values rising from 84.78 ton/ha/yr in 2000 to 101.26 ton/ha/yr in 2022. Chemically, laboratory results showed that mined soils had lower organic matter, nitrogen, and nutrient levels compared to unmined soils, alongside shifts in pH, reduced water retention, and diminished fertility. Farmers reported poor crop viability, especially for food crops like yam and cassava, due to the removal of topsoil. Rehabilitation mechanisms were weak, with unfulfilled promises of land restoration, leaving mined sites barren and eroded. The study concludes that while sand mining provides short-term economic benefits, it causes long-term environmental degradation and social conflicts. It recommends stricter regulatory enforcement, community-inclusive decision-making, reforestation, effective monitoring systems, and collaboration among agencies such as the EPA, Wenchi District Assembly, Forestry Commission, and FAO to promote sustainable sand mining practices.