The Ogun State government has flagged off a remediation exercise in Ogijo aimed at eliminating lead contamination following an audit of all Used Lead Acid Battery, (ULAB), facilities and tests on soil, water, air and residents’ blood.
- +Ogun flags off lead remediation in Ogijo after ULAB audit, test
Kehinde Bello, general manager of the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency, OGEPA, said Thursday the state has begun evacuating slag illegally dumped in communities surrounding ULAB facilities.
Kehinde Bello, general manager of the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency, OGEPA, said Thursday the state has begun evacuating slag illegally dumped in communities surrounding ULAB facilities.
“The evacuation of this slag will take us weeks to complete because lots of them are illegally dumped in many communities surrounding the ULAB facilities as the state government determined to evacuate them in the overall public interest and well-being of the residents”
Bello said the process will take weeks to complete and is intended to protect residents who were unaware of the hazardous nature of the waste.
OGEPA officials said the cleanup will also include bio-remediation to remove lead from soil and new enforcement measures.
The agency directed ULAB operators to deploy automatic battery breakers to reduce slag generation and comply with state guidelines, warning that facilities that fail to meet the new standards will be sanctioned.
Also speaking, Babatunde Lawal, director of hazardous material management, Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency OGEPA, said aside from the evacuation of slag in those communities,there will be a bio-remediation exercise through planting of planting materials.
According to him, that will take-off the lead that might have gone to the soil so that the places where the slag were dumped and now been evacuated will be free from lead contamination.
He however urged the ULAB facilities to run their operations responsibly and sustainably for the betterment of the environment and safety of the public.
Tunde Bolarinwa, director, inspectorate and compliance, OGEPA, the agency will continue to monitor the ULAB facilities to ensure they comply with the state government’s new standards operational guidelines as anyone of them that fails to comply with the new order will be sanctioned.
