Mining: NESREA to prosecute polluters of Osun river

The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has said it will prosecute polluters of the Osun River after investigation into the activities of miners around the river’s course have been concluded.

The Director General (DG) of NESREA, Prof Aliyu Jauro, during a press conference in Abuja, said the agency received complaints about the possible pollution of the river by local and Chinese miners and had since launched an investigation.

He said, “Recently, the agency has been inundated with several complaints on the resurgence of the activities of artisanal miners in the area, raising fears of degradation of the environment, destruction of farmlands and contamination of water sources, especially the Osun River.”

Prof Jauro emphasised that apart from the river being a key source of water for humans, plants and animals, it was of interest internationally because it passed through the Osogbo Sacred Grove – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

He said monitoring visits to the site by his agency indicated “a large presence of Chinese miners who with the aid of excavators and related equipment mine and wash the minerals along or close to the river’s courses.

“There is also high activities of artisanal miners who scavenge surface minerals at abandoned mine pits and wash them into nearby rivers, most of which flow into the Osun River. The river has become more turbid with reddish colouration from the disturbance of mining and washing into the river. This is worrisome since the cultural practices at the Osun Grove require contact with the water in the form of drinking, bathing and people also use the water daily in their homes.

“A full-fledged investigation has been launched and officers from the headquarters and the South West zonal office have been in Osun State collecting water and soil samples which have been taken for laboratory analyses to determine the level of pollution which will inform our enforcement decisions so as to protect the lives of Nigerians affected by these activities.”

The DG further said that at the end of the investigation, the provisions of the National Environmental Regulations 2009 (mining and processing of coal, ores and industrial minerals) and other environmental instruments would be invoked against those involved in unsustainable mining practices in the state.

Jauro added that, “This will definitely mean that perpetrators will have their facilities sealed and they would also be charged to court for environmental violation.”