Assessing the socio-economic and Vegetation impacts of sand mining

Sand mining in many areas of Rundu is an issue of environmental concern due to the growing increase in demand in the building and construction industry. The problem has been exacerbated by the fact that this is an important socio-economic activity for the local community. Environmental degradation already experienced includes loss of vegetation, loss of top soil, soil erosion which has been accelerated by vehicles hauling sand in undefined paths, distorted aesthetics (open gulley) and loss of land that otherwise would have been used for agriculture. The main goal of this study was to determine the socio-economic impacts of sand harvesting and its effects to the environment precisely the vegetation cover (woody trees). The study employed field work observations, data collection methods such as interviews and questionnaires in determining these impacts. The study found out that the majority of the landowners have converted their land into sand mining sites to obtain a living.