Flood: Osun govt. warns residents against indiscriminate dumping of refuse Waste

Osun Government has warned residents against indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drainages and waterways to avoid epidemics and flooding.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Sanitation, Mr Oladele Olawuni, gave the warning during an interview with our correspondent on Friday in Osogbo.

Olawuni said that when waterways, canals and streams were blocked with refuse, debris and other wastes, it might lead to flooding.

He stated that the wastes being dumped by residents in rivers and waterways were the major cause of water overflows and flooding in the state.

The permanent secretary said that most residents lacked the culture of keeping and disposing their wastes properly, with the mindset that such wastes being thrown in rivers and streams would be swept away by water.

He said government, through the State Waste Management Agency, had put in place a free refuse collection system to ensure and promote proper waste disposal in the state.

Olawuni, however, warned that anybody caught disposing waste indiscriminate would be apprehended by the state waste management agency and fined.

He said that government had been doing a lot in preventing flooding disasters in the state, including dredging of rivers and water channels to enhance free flow of water.

The permanent secretary enjoined residents to dispose their refuse properly or make use of private waste disposal operators to get rid of them.

He also said that farmers should cultivate the habit of burning the weeds cleared on their farms instead of dumping them in rivers or streams.

Olawuni warned the people of the state against building structures close to or on water channels.