A SURVEY OF ENVIRON-TOPO-TRAFFIC DANGERS IN
ILORIN METROPOLIS, MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL FOR
HUMAN SAFETY.
BY
OWOJAIYE,SUNDAY ONi
&
ONIFADE, OLASUNKANMI ADEOYE
ABSTRACT
This paper presents Environ-Topo-Traffic dangers in Ilorin metropolis,
control and management through direct observation, sampled stories and
related literature. Health issues disscussed are; environmental safety,
ecology of human, topographic safety; impending health harzards from
refuse dumps, and hibernation of criminal. It was recommended among
others that the government shold endeavour to mount fly-overs across the
railway crossings of the major roads and arond clumsy roads and also
recall in totality the environmental sanitation. Currently, people’s lives
are not very safe due to perrenial health issues; living houses, roads,
bridges and some areas are prone to submrging in the mud around
Amilegbe, Edun, Opo-Malu, Taiwo Isale, Saw-Mill area (all of Ilorin
Metropolis0.
Several roads requiring fly-overs are Oja-Oba market, Emir’s road, Unity
road’s railway crossing, Amilegbe road’s railway crossing. These areas
require adequate control and managementstrageies. Problems of the deep
wells linking Asa Dam in Pakata area and possibly newly constructed upLawal’s contemporary wells and bore-holes having contact with AsaDam and even the ocean. Building of concrete barricades of culvets to
safeguard the inflush of these gutter waters into the streets and
submerging the building require attention to forestall incidences like
Ogunpa river in Ibadan and oceanic flood in Bar beach Lagos. Train and
trailer vehicle collisions in Kano, Lagos, Ibadan and Ilorin witnessed in
1999 must be prevented if lives must be preserved.
INTRODUCTION
Environmental safety constitute healthy and safe living within well built
houses, adequate space for (ventilaton, recreation, movement) well laid
roads, streets, or path. Well lined elecctricity cable away from homes and
high enough for passage of heavy trailers and trucks, to mention but a
few. Ecology of human embraces what life requirements are viz; what air
we breath, what water we drink, what food we eat, the jobs we do, the
homes we live and the communities we live; the type of topography our
houses are built on, the underlying layers of soil (i.e. porous,
impermeable,compact, sandy, clayish, humus) and what have you. It also
encompasses the quality and quantity of human existence (Walter and
Frank, 1976; Ajaegbu, 1985, and EPA,1976).
The joy of individuals in Ilorin metropolis will be premised on the
assurance and prospect of the environment (both ecologically,
topographically and traffic) safety. But is there any affirmation for this?
Is the environment safe for premonitioned several decades of existence?
What level of safety is put in place for road users (vehicle owners,
pedestrians, train passengers), is there any threat of the city being
submerged in a pool of the water (EPA, 1976; Ademola, 1999).
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Recent survey around ilorin metropolis revealed enviromental hazards of
impending pollution from dunghills,traffic accidents and landslide in
certain spotted areas.The purpose of this paper is to let the enviroental
protection agency be aware of the need for human safety in ilorin
metropolis and also to sensitize the state government on pollution in
town.It is hoped that emprical as scholars may pick interest in further
research into the unsafe environ-Topo-traffic strategies in Ilorin
metropolis. Ilorin (the state of Harmony)is hoped would be safe for
habitation as the government is motivated to embark on enviromental
sanitation and caution for people to desist from throwing refuse
indiscriminately. Also the state will achieve a boost in her population
growth if adequate measures are taken to avert the prospect of ecological
menace surveyed. The paper approached from the perspective of
conceptualization of danger in metropolis.
LITERATURE
STORIES
REVIEW,OBSERVATION
AND
SAMPLED
Danger of submerging buildings and roads
Recent health and safety survey in Ilorin metropolis shows that several
buildings may be submerged in the mud due to erosion at Odo-Okun via
Saw-mill area; Edun Area, Opo-malu via Emir’s road down Taiwo road
via Emire’s road.
There is a close monitor of the potency of water and its prospective
menace at covering the whole Ilorin metropolis. The water level is very
close to the land surface. Asa Dam is believed to be collection centre or
the eye of the underlying water, as an area with deep well in Pakata was
observed to be linked to Asa Dam due to discovery water fetcher lost in
this Pakata well at Asa Dam by a fisherman who is a native of Pakata. If
deep well of 12 feet depth can be so linked, what about bore holes in
strategic places? Where does it link? Asa Dam too or the real ocean? soak
away, septic tanks close to deep wells can pollute boreholes and even Asa
Dam too (Anderson 1987).
Danger of unsafe roads from motor accidents
The major railway crossing of Emir’s road, Unity road, Amilegbe road
could be accident-prone. At between 7:00-9:00am and 3:30-4:30pm every
working days, several vehicles rush workers to their various working
places. Therefore hold-ups are rampant. Also Saw-mill garage built
between Ibadan-Ilorin trunk. A-road and Oko-Erin road had been
abandoned. All drivers and functional vehicles have moved to Odo-okun
river (Saw-Mill of planks) thereby causing dangers to motorists and
pedestrians. Also Surulere-Babako road that runs to the central mosque
via Emirs road, Oloje, Ipata had been taken over by marketers. Buying
and selling had engulfed the roads thereby allowing slow and sometimes
still movement of vehicles.
Danger of refuse dump, undeveloped lands and uncompleted
buildings
At Saw-Mill area, Ipata market area and where have you, there existed
several fallow land taken over by refuse dump; the dung hills are
inhabited by rats, snakes, cockroaches, dead animals, bagged faeces, dead
or aborted babies, flying nylons and polythene bags. Also uncompleted
buildings are occupied temporarily for evil and critical act by the hemp/
marijuana smokers, robbers, rapists and advanced fee fraud or 419
magnates.
Aderamon’s (1999) categorization of dwellings, Ilorin is consistently
rising between large town and metropolis of a population of 10,0011,000,000 people; further still Ajaegbu (1985) affirmed that population is:
Formation of people through the process of occupation and
livelihood, Urban area growing at a steady rate due to the
impact of improved medical services, education, civilization
and uncontrolled birth rates and family enlargement due to
bouyant lifestyle from economic boost. The rise in human
inflush into Ilorin create business men and women into
needing building of kiosks,boutiques and shops anyhow
anywhere almost always forgetting the safety of their lives.
They are plaqued with drinking water problems, sewage
disposal problems and transport problems (EPA,1976)
which are the focus of this paper. How can these problems
be solved? And forgetting dangers of the crossing of death
(Adegbenro,1999)
TABLE 1:Environ-Topo-traffic controls or management strategy in
Ilorin metropolis
DETECTED
DANGER
LOCATION CONTROL
ORGAN
REMARK
RESPONSIBLE
MANAGEMNT
Submerging 1. flowing
houses and Amilegbe:
roads
Odo-Okun
and Oshun
rivers
Building
of
concrete
barricade and
construction
of shops and
kioks required
on
this
concrete.
Ministry
of Five years
works
and development
Ministry
of plan.
Agriculture
and/or
Oceanographic
studies.
Sources: adapted from Ajaegbu (1985) Demogaphic consequence for
environment quality,Yaba Nigeria ;Education research Council Press.
CONCLUSION
From the foregone ,it could be concluded that there existed area that are
prone to submerging accident from motor vehicle ,train are every
animal(reptiles),armed robbery and human assassinations from drug
addicts.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the conclusion drawn, it could be recommended that all the
control and management strath associated in table 1 above must be
strictly followed.Flying over road must be built for pedestrians at the
railway crossing.People residing in submerging area should relocated in a
more decent and safe area.Adequate drainages should be built to collect
rainwater lock/swampy area. Enforcement of the environment saintation
should be refertilized.Environment sanitation work force could be
initiated and employed and paid by the public to go into houses to
maintain cleanliness and safe health.
REFERENCES
Areramo .J.A(1999)Environment,municipaliy and dwellings, Ilorin:
unpublished Ph.D.Thesis Department of Geography,University of
Ilorin.
Adegbenro, A. (1999) Crossing of Death Fatal collision betweetn train
and vehicle becoming recurrent . Tell magazine. Ikeja, Lagos :tell
Communication Ltd.No.31. August 2nd 1999 page 36.
Ajaegbu, H.I (1985) Demographic consequence for environmental
quality.Population and Enviromental Quality.Yaba,Lagos: Nigeria
Educational Research Council (NERC)press.
Abderson,C.L. (1987)Health principles and practice London and
Basingstock:C.V. Mosby Company.
Channing, B.L.(1976) Our Endangered World ABC of Human Ecology.A
scriptographic Booklet .Greenfield,Mass:U.S.A.
Enviromental protection Agency (1976) How used water can be treated
so it can be used again.Needed clean water?Monongraph of United
states EPA:Washington.
Walter,H.G. and Frank, H.J (1976)School health health education.Saint
Louis:TheC.V. Mosby company