Locals acquire Salt from Lake Katwe
Location
Lake Katwe is a small salt lake located in the formerly active volcanic area in Kasese District in Western Uganda. Lake Katwe is found north-east of Lake Edward and south-east of Lake George. The lake is found in the small run-down town of Katwe within Queen Elizabeth National Park. The lake covers an area of approximately eight square miles. It is 550 km west of Kampala City, the capital city of Uganda.
Main activity of local community
The surrounding area is semi-arid and the soils do not support agricultural activities. The main activity of the local community is therefore traditional salt mining. Salt mining has been going on since the 13 Century. The shores of the lake are lined with small ponds or pans of water from which salt is extracted from the bottom in a process called salt panning.
There are three major types of salt mined from this lake:
- Crude salt for animal leak
- Edible salt (sodium chloride)
- Unwashed salt
Health implications:
The smell of hydrogen sulphide is all over the place and there health complications for both men and women as a result of being exposed to the salty water.