Hadiza Ibrahim
Ahead of the grand finale of the annual Osun-Osogbo Cultural Festival, Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, has been in celebration mood, with cultural enthusiasts from all parts of the globe arriving for the event scheduled for this Friday.
But amidst the festivities, concerns are rising among stakeholders about the contamination of Osun river which experts consider unfit for usage by humans.
The health implications of consuming water from the river, which is said to be have been polluted by heavy metal and cyanide, has raised a red flag difficult to ignore, thereby causing safety concerns ahead of the grand finale.
It has been the practice among Osun adherents, who usually come from all parts of the country and beyond during the festival, to scoop water from the river into containers of varying sizes and use it for spiritual activities that may include drinking, using it to prepare food or herbal concoctions.
This is regardless of the unhygienic state of the water and health warnings.
Findings showed that the gradual contamination of Osun River, linked to mining activities, reached the peak with the change in colour of the water between year 2018 and 2021.
