Stream heavily contaminated with mercury, lead, cyanide harmful to humans and livestock
BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
As this year’s annual Osun Osogbo Festival commences with thousands of local and international tourists, including traditional worshippers across the globe expected to throng the sacred Osun River goddess groove, stakeholders continue to express worries over the health implications of consuming water from the shrine.
The fear being expressed became palpable as a civil society group, Urban Alert, raised the alarm over the unhealthy state of the Osun River, and the consequences of consuming the said ‘heavily contaminated water’.
According to the group, scientific examinations revealed that the 213km long Osun River is being polluted by activities of illegal and unregulated licensed gold miners in some parts of Osun State.
The Executive Director of the group, Anthony Adejuwon, disclosed that a physicochemical test embarked upon showed that the Osun River had been heavily contaminated with mercury, lead, and cyanide at levels that were detrimental to both humans and livestock.
Urban Alert, therefore, said that the multitude of tourists and devotees expected to participate in the annual festival that would feature fetching of the contaminated water purportedly for spiritual healing may be endangered.
Stakeholders noted that the water might do more harm than good if consumed. They stressed that currently, the water predisposes many people to anemia, hypertension, renal impairment, immunogenicity and toxicity to the reproductive organs, just as it induces behavioural and learning problems such as low IQ and hyperactivity.
A public affairs commentator, Rasheed Adegbite, told The Point that, “if what we have been hearing about the contaminated river is anything to go by, then concerned authorities should not fold their arms and watch innocent people that would fetch the water fall victims.”
Further on the potential threat that may be posed by the contaminated water which is now coloured, a media expert, Femi Adefila, recently said that it may be hazardous for pregnant women to drink it as it may lead to “reduced growth of the fetus, congenital disability, abortion and premature birth.”
At a presentation on efforts by the Urban Alert, American Spaces and Rave FM Foundation on the state of the Osun River held at the American Windows, University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Adefila said that the water may cause “gastrointestinal disease and kidney dysfunction, tremors, increased blood pressure and incidence of hypertension,” for adults.
Stakeholders, therefore, urged the Federal and State Governments to clean up the river urgently before it results in outbreak of diseases.
The Urban Alert indicated that it wrote to the Federal Government to address the situation urgently as part of its efforts to draw the attention of critical stakeholders to clean up the contaminated Osun River.
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, the group urged the Federal Government to save the world heritage site and the over two million people linked to the river, including the tourists and devotees, from imminent disaster that the polluted water might cause.
The Team Lead of the NGO, Adejuwon, said that the organisation made efforts to seek the commitment of stakeholders in the prevailing situation.
Adejuwon stated that through the deployment of technology, the organisation and a team of experts identified the harmful substances in the river and its potential danger.
“The water predisposes many people to anemia, hypertension, renal impairment, immunogenicity and toxicity to the reproductive organs, just as it induces behavioural and learning problems such as low IQ and hyperactivity”
He said, “Sometimes in 2018, the Osun River from which Osun State derived its name suddenly changed colour from its normal transparent appearance to brown. Initially, residents of Osun State thought the change was as a result of flood which would only be a temporary issue, but this scary brownish colour has persisted for more than four years without any hope for remediation.
“As an organisation driven by facts with a foundation firmly rooted in data, we carried out geographical information analysis and laboratory tests to ascertain the cause of Osun River pollution and affirm the elements in the water.
“Our examinations revealed that the Osun River is being polluted by the activities of the illegal and unregulated licensed gold miners in some parts of Osun State. Further physicochemical tests have shown that the Osun River has been heavily contaminated with mercury, lead, and cyanide at levels detrimental to humans and livestock.
“Undoubtedly, the harmful contamination of the Osun River due to mining activities has put over two million people living in more than 20 communities of Osun State in danger. Due to the importance of the river which serves as a source of water for cultural, domestic, agricultural and industrial purposes, citizens are exposed to cancer and other deadly diseases.
“We are aware that the root cause of the Osun River contamination is under the exclusive list and the Osun State Government, in April 2021, constituted the Mineral Resources and Environmental Management Committee.
“Unfortunately, MIREMCO’s ability to end the water poisoning is un-reassuring as illegal and unregulated licensed gold miners continue to contaminate the river unhindered. We, therefore, call on your ministry to act now by restoring the water bodies and ending the contamination of the Osun River by activating extant laws regarding mining and the environment as contained in sections 111, 114,123,124, 126 and 127 of the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 which protects the environment and water courses.”
Meanwhile, signs that the Osun-Osogbo Festival is around the corner is becoming evident in Osogbo as both human and vehicular movements have notably increased within the state capital.
The Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun, is the cynosure of all eyes at the annual Iwo Popo as the king, who donned red and yellow damask, led a traditional procession to and fro the palace to Gbaemu Junction, last Tuesday.
Iwo Popo is the traditional cleansing of the road, a ritual that attracts a teeming crowd of people annually. Other features at the Osun festival included Ibo Ade, Atupa Oloju Merindinlogun, Ifa Arugba and the grand finale held between August 4 and 12.
Since the state government declared its readiness to tackle illegal mining activities in the state in order to avert further pollution of the river, checks revealed that nothing concrete had been done.
Bemoaning what it described as the flagrant abuse of the environment by the illegal miners with emphasis to the pollution of the Osun River, the state government earlier read the riot act to defaulters of the approved mining standards in the state but the effort did not yield positive result.
The Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation in the state, Funke Egbemode, said, “Osun State Government is worried and deeply concerned about the flagrant abuse of its environment by illegal miners who are daily degrading and polluting the Osun River.
“In spite of efforts to curb the excesses of these fly-by-night-businessmen, they have consistently resisted guidance and refused to follow approved standards for mining in Osun.
“The state government’s mining blueprint has sought through a combination of enforcement and formalisation via registration and capacity development of artisanal miners to mitigate the degradation caused by mining.
“While these achievements present the state’s proactive policies designed to change the mining landscape, the state continues to deal with the scourge of illicit and irresponsible mining that is causing the pollution of the Osun River.
“Governor Oyetola has since deployed its limited enforcement resources to curbing illegal and informal mining to arrest the de-spoliation of our land and pollution of our rivers. To date, the enforcement actions have led to the arrests of several individuals for illicit mining, seizures and site closures.
“In addition to the enforcement activities, the state has commissioned studies on the level of pollution and how to remediate it and also sought assistance from the Federal Government as well as Development partners, including the Ecological fund, to remediate the damage.”
