** Please visit our website: http://www.africanassociation.org **

Timely weather forecast would only serve as a makeshift solution to the
acute problem of climatic changes that has hit many subsaharan
countries hard. What has gone unnoticed by most role-players is the
impact of environmental illiteracy on most African communities. Because
the earth's carrying capacity can only take that much of environmental
exploitation, climatic changes have occasioned nefarious effects on the
lives of Africans.

Like you rightly put it," the severity of the weather during this
perioid(harmattan) could be attributed to other global extraneous
factors like climate change or shift in ozone layer, induced by the
effect of indiscriminate human activities on the fragile ecosystem."
You've put your finger on the the problem! Environmental degradation in
Africa is attributable to the indiscriminate exploitation of meagre
natural resources by impoverished communities.Most Africans eke out a
subsistenceliving through agricultural activities, many of which are
quite detrimental to the health of the ecosystem. Examples of such
activities include: deforestation, burning of farmland, overgrazing of
pastoral land, etc. The consequences of these unchecked humanan
activities are legion: GREEN HOUSE EFFECT, OZONE DEPLETION, AIR
POLLUTION, WATER POLLUTION, ETC.

What we need to do at this juncture is educate our people on the need
for environmental protection. We have to think globally and actlocally.
This calls for collective action because environmental problems know no
geographical boundaries. A natural disaster that occurs in Nigeria is
likely to have repercusions in CAMEROON, NIGER, CHAD and beyond. This
is what experts in the field call"tragedy of the commons".

The time for action is now. We have to launch genuine environmental
rehabilitation education programs in Africa.  Procrastination is the
thief of time!

PETER VAKUNTA

----- Original Message -----
From: f ossia <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Saturday, January 15, 2005 2:57 pm
Subject: FW: Surviving the harmattan

> ** Please visit our website: http://www.africanassociation.org **
>
> >From: "Ossia, Felix" <[log in to unmask]>
> >To: <[log in to unmask]>
> >Subject: Surviving the harmattan Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2005 10:55:51 -
> 0600>
> >Surviving the harmattan
> >IN the past fortnight or so, a massive fluff of dust settled on the
> >country's skyline, causing a drastic change in weather, heralding
> intense>harmattan, with its peculiar characteristics and impact.
> Commercial>activities at the nation's airports virtually came to a
> halt. Maiduguri and
> >other northern cities are recording very poor visibility, forcing
> motorists>to put on headlamps at day-time to avoid accidents.
> >A wide range of small-scale business activities has also been
> affected.>Outdoor workers are hardest-hit. Harmattan weather makes
> people lethargic,
> >especially in the early morning hours. At night, doors and
> windows are
> >closed. People go to bed under layers of blankets. The chill,
> coupled with
> >longer nights experienced during this period, make people sleep
> more and
> >wake up late. Early morning commuters are battling to adjust to
> the sudden
> >change in weather. Workers are arriving late to their offices.
> >The onset of harmattan has also been accompanied by a number of
> health>conditions. Children and even adults are down with cough
> and catarrh due to
> >inhalation of dust. Asthmatic patients suffer more and visit
> hospitals>frequently. Petroleum jelly and menthol based ointments
> are in high demand
> >as persons have to worry about cracked lips and dry skin. Nursing
> mothers>are also having to pay more attention to their babies. As
> the cold causes
> >sweat to cease, body odour and heat rashes disappear. Minor
> injuries tend
> >to dry up. Mosquitoes disappear. A thin film of dust settles on
> furniture,>cars, and on every surface. Thus, Nigerians have been
> finding the
> >harmattan, rather challenging.
> >Harmattan is an air mass that originates from the Sahara desert
> due to
> >shift in the atmospheric high pressure belt. Occurring annually, it
> >coincides with temperate winter, in December and January. The air
> mass,>traditionally, called the North-East trade wind, affects the
> entire West
> >African sub-region, and dissipates into the Atlantic Ocean. The main
> >physical characteristics include chilly condition, poor
> visibility, low
> >temperatures, diffused radiation and low relative humidity.
> >Harmattan's impact on social and economic life is exacerbated by the
> >physical characteristics of the air mass. The severity of the weather
> >during this period, could be attributed to other global
> extraneous factors
> >like climate change or shift in ozone layer, induced by the
> effect of
> >indiscriminate human activities on the fragile ecosystem.
> >However, harmattan is not all about hardships. Agricultural
> activities>flourish during harmattan. Fruit trees like mangoes,
> pears, guava, among
> >others, blossom with flowers, which in turn result in abundant fruit
> >harvest. Farmers prepare their land for cultivation during this
> period.>But what is important, is that caution must be exercised
> during harmattan,
> >as it is associated with some dangers. Fire outbreak is rampant.
> >Consequently, families need to be cautious while farmers and hunters
> >setting bushes on fire should be careful to avoid wild fires
> which damage
> >the ecosystem. In Western countries, weather forecasts are given
> regularly>and the public is advised appropriately.
> >But sadly, this has not been the case in Nigeria, resulting in much
> >widespread confusion during harmattan. It is disturbing, for
> example, that
> >at least two ghastly accidents on the roads have been attributed
> to poor
> >visibility at this period. Early forecast of the weather is
> critical to
> >preparation and survival. It is unfortunate that every year,
> changes in the
> >weather occur, without any preparation on the part of the people.
> >The Nigerian Meteorological Service (NMS), should live up to its
> >responsibilities in this regard. The present level of forecasting is
> >definitely unsatisfactory. The only way to safeguard life and
> property>against any natural disaster is through early warning.
> Without early
> >warning, the people are at risk. The Meteorological Department,
> >universities, and airports, where changes in physical phenomena are
> >monitored should be fully equipped with modern facilities to
> perform their
> >duties effectively. The right calibre of manpower should be
> employed to man
> >the facilities for the benefit of the nation. The media also has
> a role to
> >play in providing useful information about changes in the weather.
> >Guardian Newspapers Limited
> >
> >
>
> _________________________________________________________________
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