The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority, Dr Adedeji Ashiru, has called for intensified campaigns and collaboration to halt human activities polluting rivers and undermining healthy living and sustainable development.
Ashiru, represented by the Executive Director, Planning and Design, Mr. Femi Dokunmu, made the call on Monday during a program held at the authority’s headquarters in Abeokuta to mark this year’s World Rivers Day themed: “Clean Rivers, Healthy Communities.”
He decried practices such as dumping of refuse, discharging untreated sewage, and releasing industrial effluents into rivers, warning that they pose serious risks to aquatic life and human health.
Ashiru noted that rivers are often described as the lifelines of civilization, stressing their vital role in providing drinking water, irrigation for farming, hydroelectric power, transportation, and food from aquatic animals.
“When rivers are sick, communities also suffer; health declines, poverty increases, and biodiversity is threatened. That is why World Rivers Day reminds us of our shared responsibility to protect and restore these waters.
“We must learn to treat rivers not as dumping grounds, but as living systems that need care. Every small action we take counts; whether it is reducing plastic use, planting trees along riverbanks, or spreading awareness about conservation,” he said.
The O-ORBDA boss urged residents to avoid throwing waste, plastics, or harmful chemicals into rivers, while encouraging communities to organize clean-up campaigns and educate one another on the dangers of pollution.
Earlier, as part of activities for the celebration, O-ORBDA staff embarked on a roadshow from the agency’s headquarters to Kotopo, Abeokuta, sensitizing residents to desist from polluting rivers. At the Laketu River in Kotopo, officials, joined by community leaders, performed symbolic cleaning exercises and planted coconut trees to enhance biodiversity.
Speaking on the theme, Professor Adeyinka Sobowale of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, lamented the negative impacts of human activities on river health and community wellbeing.
Sobowale, who is also the immediate past Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Water Engineers, urged the Ogun State Government to build water treatment facilities in abattoirs and for Adire textile producers, to ensure harmful wastewater is treated before being discharged into rivers.
The United Nations set aside the fourth Sunday of every September to celebrate World Rivers Day, beginning in 2005, to raise global awareness on the significance of rivers and the need to preserve them.
Experts warn that river pollution endangers crops irrigated with contaminated water, renders fish unsafe for consumption, and threatens livelihoods.
From clean rivers, however, farmers can produce fresh food that nourishes communities, reduces hunger, and improves living conditions.