Ogun-Oshun River Basin seeks collaboration to end pollution
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority (O-ORBDA), Dr. Adedeji Ashiru, has called for stronger collaboration and awareness campaigns to curb human activities that are polluting rivers and threatening sustainable development.
Ashiru, who was represented by the Executive Director, Planning and Design, Mr. Femi Dokunmu, made this appeal on Monday during an event at the authority’s headquarters in Abeokuta to commemorate this year’s World Rivers Day, themed “Clean Rivers, Healthy Communities.”
He lamented the harmful practices of indiscriminate dumping of refuse, discharge of untreated sewage, and release of industrial effluents into rivers, describing them as dangerous to both aquatic life and human health.
According to him, rivers remain central to civilisation, serving as a primary source of drinking water, irrigation for agriculture, hydroelectric power, transportation, and food supply through aquatic resources.
Ashiru stressed the need for collective action to protect water bodies, urging communities, industries, and policymakers to embrace sustainable practices that safeguard rivers for present and future generations.
