• Moves against environmental violations
• Ekiti govt urges calm on reported offensive odour, harps on environmental safety

Ogun State Government has commenced an enforcement and assessment exercise to monitor gaseous emissions and pollutants at mining sites in Ogun East Senatorial District of the state.

The assessment is aimed at identifying and mitigating environmental and health risks arising from gaseous emissions and other pollutants generated by mining and industrial activities, as well as facilitating access to relevant environmental documents.

General Manager of Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA), Kehinde Bello, said that the exercise would also evaluate the potential environmental effects of emissions from mining activities, particularly their impact on the health and well-being of workers and residents in host communities.

Bello said that prolonged exposure to dust, smoke and other pollutants generated from mining, quarry activities and blasting posed significant risks to respiratory health and would have had adverse effects on the surrounding environment.

He noted that the enforcement exercise would enable the agency to gather relevant data on air quality within mining communities.

RELATEDLY, Ekiti State Government has called for calm and assured residents of its commitment to protecting lives and property, as well as ensuring the safety and well-being of the people.

In a statement yesterday, the state’s Commissioner for Information, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said that the state government had continued coordinated investigations, inspections and surveillance across locations where reports of an obnoxious odour had been received, as part of efforts to address any environmental nuisance associated with the situation.

The OGEPA boss stressed that the exercise was part of the agency’s broader mandate to protect the environment, safeguard public health and promote responsible and sustainable industrial practices across Ogun State.

He added that the agency would continue to monitor mining and other industrial activities to ensure that operators comply with applicable environmental standards and regulations, particularly those relating to air pollution and safe operational practices.

Bello, therefore, urged mining operators to ensure that their activities do not endanger the health and safety of residents, stressing the need for greater environmental responsibility in mining communities and that compliance with environmental regulations remained essential to achieving sustainable industrial development in the State.

Also speaking, the Head of the OGEPA Task Force Unit, Olusesi Opaleye, said the exercise involved the monitoring and examination of operational practices that could contribute to air pollution and other environmental hazards.

Meanwhile, residents of communities hosting mining and blasting activities have been encouraged to report suspected environmental violations to the appropriate authorities.

According to him, the surveillance and inspection exercises have so far identified activities capable of contributing to environmental nuisance and foul odours, including indiscriminate sewage disposal, poor waste management practices and the discharge of decomposed materials into public channels.

Olatunbosun said the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources had also undertaken air and gas analysis as part of the ongoing efforts to obtain scientific information that could assist in identifying the nature and possible source of the reported odour.

He, therefore, urged residents to remain calm and avoid speculation or the circulation of unverified information, stressing that such actions could cause unnecessary panic and undue escalation of the situation.