River Contamination: Osun residents at risk of lead, mercury, cyanide poison

Following the contamination of Osun River by activities of illegal miners in the state, a Non-Governmental Organisation, NGO, Urban Alert, has said that no fewer than two million residents of the state are at risk of lead poisoning.

The group, in its report, tagged: '#Safeosunriver',  done in conjunction with Levite Foundation for Community Development, said the level of heavy metals, including lead, mercury and cyanide, present in the river is more than 500 per cent above the permissible level.

Addressing journalists in Osogbo, Urban Alert's team leader, Anthony Adejuwon, said the river traverses over 20 communities in the state and five other states in the South-West, saying the situation must be checked now, else residents may begin to experience life threatening ailments. 

The statement, titled: 'High-Level Chemical Poisoning of Osun River: A Cultural Identity Contaminated and Defaced', read in part:  "Sometimes in 2018, water in the Osun River, which took its source from Igede-Ekiti, Ekiti State and flows through Ekiti, Osun, Oyo, Ogun and Lagos states suddenly changed colour from its normal transparent appearance to brown. Initially, residents of Osun State thought the change was a result of flood, which will only be a temporary issue, but this scary brownish colour has persisted for more than three years without any hope of remediation by the government.

"As an organization 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 present in the water. Our scientific examinations revealed that the Osun River is being polluted by the activities of gold miners in some parts of Osun State. Further physicochemical and microbiological tests revealed that the Osun River has been heavily contaminated with mercury, lead, cyanide and other injurious elements.

"No doubt, the harmful contamination of the Osun River due to mining activities has put the lives of over two million residents of Osun State in danger. Traditionalists, Osun devotees, local and foreign tourists of the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove and over 20 communities making use of the Osun River are exposed to cancer and other deadly ailments like brain and kidney failure, hearing loss, growth retardation, anaemia, impaired vision, paralysis and death.

"It is disheartening to state that the government at all levels has remained incapacitated, claiming various reasons it is difficult to end this life-threatening situation which negative impacts would lead to the death of many in few years, if not addressed.

"We, therefore, call on the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Osun State Government, civil society organizations and the international community to save the lives of over  two million residents of Osun State whose lives directly or indirectly depend on the 213km river, which currently houses five water dams, Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove (UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Monuments.”