THE Harmattan is a season in West Africa which occurs between the end of November and the middle of March. It is characterized by the dry and dusty northeasterly trade wind, of the same name, which blows from the Sahara Desert over Africa into the Gulf of Guinea. The temperature is cold in most places and can also be hot in certain places, depending on the local circumstances. It is therefore plausible to warn and educate the citizenry on the danger inherent in harmattan season for safety.
HARMATTAN season brings desert-like weather conditions. It lowers the humidity, dissipates cloud cover, prevents rainfall formation and sometimes creates big clouds of dust, which can result in dusty storms or sandstorms. In a nutshell, harmattan season is one in which dryness of the environment, leaves and every object material, including human, occurs, which makes it very easy for fire to spread at every given opportunity. The wind can increase fire risk and cause severe crop and property damage.
THUS, over the years, many parts of Nigeria have been witnessing destructive fire outbreaks through bush burning by farmers and hunters in their quest to eke out a living.
SADLY, the harmattan season has always been associated with high risk of fire outbreak due to low humidity, dry air and fluctuations in temperature. Annually, billions of naira are lost to fire disasters in Nigeria. In the last few weeks, assets and goods worth billions of naira were lost to fire that razed shops in Kano, Kebbi and Anambra States. Aside from several of such cases that are not reported. It should also be emphasized that Harmattan season has adverse effects on human health and comfort generally. During the period, there are usually wide spread airborne diseases, coupled with the dryness of the human skin, which affect people’s health widely.
THE menace of fire as a potential disaster is with us every day. Most of the deaths and losses that have resulted from fires could have been avoided if safety measures had been observed. Fire has become increasingly life-threatening hazards, because within a few minutes it can kill and destroy. It is on the above basis that The Hope seeks to draw the attention of Nigerians to the dangers associated with harmattan season and how to prevent it.
TO prevent the debilitating destructive effects of fire outbreak during this season, people, especially farmers and hunters, should desist from indiscriminate burning of bush, and if they must burn bushes, it must be properly controlled and supervised. Members of the public should equip their houses, cars and business premises with basic firefighting equipment such as fire extinguishers.
THE HOPE urges gas stations, fuel depots, public and private buildings to put adequate preventive measures in place in case of any emergency, because the low humidity that prevails during harmattan makes it very easy for a fire to start and spread quickly within a very short period of time. Gas stations must ensure that the electrical cables used in supplying power to the LPG pump’s electric motor are of superior quality. Cooking and burning of refuse, as well as cigarette/weed, should be avoided within the premises of cooking gas stations. LPG tanks must be inspected regularly for leaks. All electrical appliances not in use should be switched off and removed from the sockets to prevent electrical sparks from power surge. The fire service at all tiers of government must be well-resourced to rise to the challenge of rapid response to emergency during this season. The media should partner with the fire service in carrying out fire safety and security campaign.
PREVENTING fire outbreaks must be all encompassing. Government at all levels must intensify public awareness campaigns on fire safety practices, enforce regulations against indiscriminate bush burning, equip fire service with adequate resources, collaborate with community leaders to promote responsible fire usage and ensure readily accessible fire safety information across various media platforms, particularly focusing on the dangers of open flames, electrical appliances, and proper storage of flammable materials during the dry season.
REGULARLY inspect public buildings and markets for fire hazards and ensure compliance with safety standards.
WITH the level of painful losses experienced as a result of needless fire outbreaks in the country, it has now become imperative for all stakeholders, including religious bodies, corporate organizations, schools, political and community leaders, public servants, NGOs and individuals to toe the path of safety in their daily activities.
THE HOPE calls for enlightenment and advocacy on fire prevention and management, which must not be left in the hands of government alone.
FIRE is one the most destructive man-made disasters of all time. Fire accidents occur frequently and one of the primary reasons is carelessness. Hence, the need for everyone to guard against avoidable losses arising from the rage of nature like harmattan fire. The Hope calls for concerted efforts from both the government and public to embrace safety measures that will mitigate these avoidable losses.