Proximity analysis of residents’ homes and sawmills within ondo road axis of ile – ife, osun state, nigeria

Context and Background Proximity of residential buildings to sawmills has been considered one of the yet to be unraveled challenges facing our cities. This study aimed at proximity analysis of residents’ homes and sawmill at Ondo road axis of Ile – Ife, Osun state. Goal and Objectives The study uses buffering operation as a function of spatial analysis to determine the number of buildings at varying distances within the sawmill environment. Methodology Both primary and secondary data were used for this research. Primary data employed GNSS observation on existing sawmills in the study area. Google Earth Imagery and Base map of the study area were downloaded from Google Earth Pro and Open Street Map respectively for the purpose of secondary data. The research maintained high level of accuracy through instruments check and quality of data acquired. ArcGIS 10.7.1 and QGIS 3.12 were used for all the geo processing steps. Query was performed and buffering was done on the available number of buildings within 100m, 200m and 300m to the sawmills. Results Study discovered the locations of 98 existing sawmills in the study area. Their proximity to buildings with emphasis on buffered distances of 100m, 200m and 300m was determined and 1584 buildings were found to be within 300m buffer of existing sawmills. Findings established that nearly 55% of the residents’ homes in the study area were in close proximity to sawmills. Study recommends that global 300m minimum setback from a residential building to sawmill by US EPA must be adequately maintained by the residents and sawmillers. And that new sawmill industrial estate for the city that will have its buffer zone well organized and made known to the members of public and all environmental regulation agencies should be created.