Mozambique: Victims of the latest floods still living in Maputo accommodation centres
DW
Digging sand for construction is allowing hundreds of people to end unemployment in Nampula, northern Mozambique, even though the activity poses a risk to the environment when exercised uncontrollably.
To end unemployment
Although an age-old practise, digging sand for the construction industry has increased in recent years in Nampula, northern Mozambique, following the economic crisis and the closure of companies in the region. The digging and sale of sand has become a “fashion job” that ignores sex and age and demands only strength and the will to work.
Selling sand to pay expenses
Margarida Martins is a 17-year-old teenager struggling for survival. She is married to a motorcycle taxi driver and the mother of a son. Margarida contributes to the family expenses by going from construction site to construction site trying to sell the raw material.
It’s not a dream job.
Quito Francisco is in charge of construction work on housing and other infrastructure. He completed secondary education two years ago but has not yet had his first formal job. Being a construction helper is not his dream occupation, but he has not been able to get onto the Teacher Training Institute yet. “I opted for this activity for lack of any other employment. I can make money to help my family,” he says.
Sand for the production of charcoal
The sand is used in construction, but also in the production of charcoal. A pit is made and filled with wood and dry grass are placed. On top of that, you put sand, with small holes to release the smoke. After a few days, when all the firewood has been consumed, you have natural charcoal.
Devastation of extensive forest areas
Extraction of sand – as with other natural resources – is subject to governmental authorisation, but in Nampula there is little control over the activity. The ‘garimpeiros’ ignore any form of environmental protection and cut down forests for raw material, while the uncontrolled extraction of sand near residential areas puts homes in danger of collapse.
A higher wage than a public official
Extracting sand is not easy. “It takes strength,” says Eugénio, who has been working as an ‘areeiro’ for five years. ”But I’m happy doing it. I will not quit until I have a better job,” he says. He makes 900 to 1,200 meticais for each load of sand. “If you have a lot of material, you can make 6,000, the equivalent of 100 dollars, more than a civil servant.”
More requests, more work and more money
This sand extraction site is in Ye-ye, on the outskirts of Nampula. The fine sand extracted here is considered the best quality. Every day, more than 50 light vehicles come here to load up with sand and, according to the garimpeiros, “the higher the demand, the better the yield”.
New expanding neighbourhoods in Nampula
Even with Mozambique’s economic crisis, Nampula continues to grow. In some sandy areas, citizens make a bit of money by digging sand from their own back yards. But this activity carries risks – the deep holes in the immediate vicinity of the houses make them more vulnerable in bad weather.
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