Ismaeel Uthman
THE particular spot where the entire Osun river is polluted has been identified.
Site Manager of Osun Osogbo Sacred Groove, Prince Adekunle Olatunji, told OSUN DEFENDER on Tuesday that the source of the pollution was traced to Ipanda, a community in Obokun local government of the state.
According to Olatunji, uncoordinated mining activities in the area was responsible for the pollution of the river.
Olatunji said flood and erosion from uncovered land where mining are taken place in Iponda found their way into the Osun river from where it flows to other areas.
However, Olatunji said the authority has begun move to clean up the water, promising that it will wear a new look very soon.
He said: “This issue of Osun river colouration has been generating a lot of controversies. But we thank God we have been able to locate the source of the pollution which is Iponda at Obokun local government.
“A report has been written which facilitated my headquarter visiting the Minister for Environment to inform him about uncoordinated mining activities and the effect on this world heritage site.
“The headquarters has equally met with the Director General of National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESRA) and we all agreed that thorough test will be carried out very soon.
“However, the state government of Osun has taken a proactive measure. First of all, we have located where we could block to purify the water. The purification would have begun but for the Osun Osogbo festival and a little hitch. Probably after the festival, this will be carried out.”
