Assessment Of Selected Environmental Impacts Of Major Quarrying Activities At Wadessa District Of Sheger City, Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

Although quarrying is economically lucrative business, it is an extractive and exploitive industry which inevitably and irreplaceably depletes natural resources. In the Wadesa district the destructive nature of quarrying together with poor management of quarry sites, constitute a major threat to the environmental and socio-economic activities of people. Therefore, the study was undertaken in Sheger city: Wadessa district to assess environment and socio- economic impacts of quarrying. It also endeavors to explore the livelihood outcomes realized by the stone workers and local community as a result of stone quarrying activities. The necessary data were collected through structured and unstructured questionnaires, lab-test and field observations. As the research result indicated, quarrying has an importance on job creation and better income generation to households of stone workers. The findings further showed that the quarrying activities in the study area helps the development of other informal business activities such as petty trading, house renting and small scale transport service provision which support the local community as alternative means of livelihood strategies and to transform from rural to urban activities. Regarding the environment the bulk excavation pits, overburden wastes together with poor management of quarries resulted inland use- land cover and landscape changes, and caused land degradation and water resource depletion. Furthermore, the respondents explained that un rehabilitated open pits and hip cliff of waste materials causes insecurity which the quarry pits collect water in rainy season and caused to accidents while youths and children swim in the accumulated stagnant water. In view of this, the study recommends effective collaboration among key stakeholders in the sector such as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mining Offices, Local Governments, Quarry Worker Enterprise and local communities is needed to enhance the utilization of resources and minimize the externalities of quarrying on the natural environment through awareness creation, proper management and rehabilitation of abounded quarry pits for other functions and sustainable environment.