Osun Government has warned residents against indiscriminate refuse disposal 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 the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Osogbo.
He said when waterways, canals and streams are blocked with refuse and other wastes, it might lead to flooding.
The permanent secretary noted that refuse being dumped by residents in rivers and waterways is the major cause of water overflows and flooding in the state.
Olawuni said that most residents lack the culture of keeping and disposing of their wastes properly, and have the mindset that when wastes are emptied into rivers and streams, they would be swept away by the current.
He said the 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 of waste indiscriminately would be apprehended by the state waste management agency and fined.
He said that the government had been doing a lot in preventing flooding disasters in the state, including dredging rivers and water channels to enhance the free flow of water.
The permanent secretary enjoined residents to dispose of their refuse properly or make use of private waste disposal operators to get rid of them.
He also said farmers should cultivate the habit of burning weeds cleared on their farms instead of dumping them in rivers or streams.
Olawuni also warned against erecting structures close to or on water channels and waterways.
(NAN)
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