Lake Katwe salt miners cry out

Salt miners in lake Katwe have appealed to the Ministry of health to come to their rescue by introducing machines that scoop the salt as opposed to the rudimentary way in which they mine the salt.

Halima Nalongo, a salt mine guide in the area told this reporter that in spite of the venture being more profitable to the community by improving their earnings, the miners instead suffer from numerous health challenges arising from salt mining.

Nalongo says the salt extractors suffer from dehydration but in addition, the women get numerous defects to their reproductive organs.

She added that the fume of hydrogen sulphide that is produced by the salt pan has increased the infection of the women uterus as well as men’s penises which has rendered many of them impotent.

Lake Katwe is a source of salt for human consumption as well as animal use. Given its location near lake Edward, residents of Katwe Kabatooro town council face high levels unemployment or engage in disguised unemployment.

However like any other fishing community that benefits from windfall revenues of fishing, it has exposed the population to the deadly HIV/AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STIs) say Halima.

Despite government and non-governmental organization initiatives of fighting the scourge by encouraging condom usage, there are still poor attitudes towards their use and condom supply.

Kabiriri Henry a teacher at Lake Katwe SS observes that about 30% of the community depends on fishing as the economic activity while 70% are involved in salt mining.

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