The Ogun State government has compelled industries across the industrial regions of the State to install effective Effluent Treatment Plants (ETP) to take care of their wastewater.
The Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Bolaji Oyeleye, who made this disclosure in Abeokuta while fielding questions from journalists to commemorate the 2018 World Water Day, said the State government was aggressively enforcing the obligatory duty of industrial facilities to install ETPs to protect the State’s ground and surface water bodies.
Oyeleye said that release of toxic substances from industrial processes to the environment portends long term effects that could be detrimental to the health of the people, adding that, the status of the State as industrial hub of the nation has now made it imperative for the Ministry to be alive to its core responsibility of monitoring effluent discharge of industries.
“Within the last three years, more industries had been compelled to put in place ETP while several others have had to either expand the capacity of existing ones or reactivate them. Presently, several others are on the verge of full compliance with this requirement,’’ he said.
The Commissioner noted that the unregulated exploitation of groundwater in the State has serious consequences for the environment, saying it has become imperative for the State government to introduce water abstraction regulations for the benefit of the future generations.
“Groundwater is something that we need all over the world. Humans and animals need water in order to survive as our bodies could not function without it. However, the uncontrolled and unregulated use of groundwater is replete with serious consequences. This becomes imperative for us to safeguard ourselves and children for these consequences”, he concluded.
In a separate interview, the State Director, National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mr. Kayode Fagboyo said that manufacturers of table water must follow acceptable practices in order to produce quality water, adding that protecting people’s health and safeguarding the environment must not be left solely in the hands of government agencies.
