Effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment in Managing the Environmental Impacts of Mining and Quarrying: Evidence from the Mageragere Mining Zone, Rwanda

Author

Aurore UMUHOZA, Christophe MUPENZI

Abstract

 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a mandatory licensing requirement for mining and quarrying in Rwanda, yet environmental degradation persists in intensively exploited areas. This study assessed how effectively EIA manages the environmental impacts of mining and quarrying in the Mageragere Mining Zone, Nyarugenge District, Kigali. A mixed-methods design combined a household survey (n = 150) across the seven cells of the sector, semi-structured interviews with 15 mining and quarry operators and 5 technical staff of regulatory agencies, field observation, review of licensing data, and Landsat-based Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) change detection for 2017, 2020 and 2025. Seventeen licensed operations occupy about 962 ha, roughly 17.6% of the sector. Among the 140 respondents who answered the trend question, 112 (80%) reported that extraction had increased near their homes over five years. Respondents identified soil erosion and landscape degradation (38%), barren soil (30%), loss of vegetation cover (14%) and deforestation (10%) as the main problems. Forest cover fell from 2,813.6 ha (51.5% of the sector) in 2017 to 863.8 ha (15.8%) in 2025, while bare land rose by 474 ha and built-up land by 671.8 ha. Only 8% of residents considered mining well regulated, and all 15 operators acknowledged a gap between EIA commitments and field practice, citing steep terrain, low priority given to the EIA report, falling mineral prices and weak inspection. EIA provides a sound design framework in Mageragere, but its effectiveness is constrained by post-approval monitoring, enforcement and capacity gaps. Specialised EIA-oriented inspections, additional regulatory staff, independent environmental audits, progressive rehabilitation and community awareness are recommended.

Keywords

Environmental Impact Assessment; mining; quarrying; land degradation; land use and land cover; environmental compliance; Rwanda

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References

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