Residents of five communities in Oke-Ogun area of Oyo state have been cautioned by the State government against drinking water from the contaminated streams in their localities.
Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr Abiodun Oni, gave the warning in a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Ibadan.
Oni said a truck conveying chemical substances had an accident and emptied its content into a drainage channel, which eventually flown into the streams that passed through the five communities.
According to him, the communities are: Ijaye, Ido, Olowo-Igbo, Iseyin and Ibarapa.
Oni said the truck was involved in an accident on Iroko-Oyo Highway, while conveying a substance presumed to be soap making chemicals.
He said that the soap making chemicals, which fell off into the drainage, ended up contaminating the streams that pass through the five communities.
Oni said that this, however, impaired the quality of water and rendered it toxic to humans and the environment at large.
The commissioner advised farmers who planted cash crops within the affected areas, as well as fishermen, to suspend every activity within the vicinity, until the waters have been tested and considered safe for human consumption.
“Government is on top of the situation, as the Ministry has dispatched some of its staff members to the affected areas to continue to monitor the situation, while also conducting a water sampling until the water can be ascertained safe for consumption.
“The state government will continue to ensure that the ecosystem is protected in the state,” Oni said.
The commissioner urged the citizens to also take responsibility by properly handling and disposing of chemical substances and other biodegradable items by ensuring that they do not end up in the streams.
He advised them to jettison the bad culture of dumping wastes into the drainage channels.
Oni said that when they eventually found their ways into the streams, rivers and the food chain process, they would pose threat to all humans.