PH Residents Express Mixed Feelings Over Harmattan Wind

Residents of Port Harcourt city and its evirons have expressed mixed feelings over the harmattan wind blowing across the State.
While some described the harmattan wind as a normal weather condition, others said it is contributing to poor air quality being experienced across the region.
They also complained of cold and itchings on their bodies.
Speaking with The Tide, Mr. Alalibo Horsfall described the harmattan as a normal weather condition in West Africa.
According to him, the harmattan is a season in West Africa that occures between the end of November and middle of March.
“It is characterised by dry and dusty North Eastern trade wind which blows from the Sahara over West Africa”.
The temperature is cold in most places, but it can also be hot in certain places depending on local circumstances.
Alalibo who is an environmentalist further explained that the drop in humidity level during this period of the year can have severe health effect such as nose bleeding, skin dryness, chaped lips, eyes and respiratory system that can result to asthma, cough, cold, muscle pains, sneezing, sore eyes and other respiratory diseases.
On her part, Miss Jennifer Lawson, a petty trader said “ her own experience about the harmattan is the increase in black soot particles in the air which people breathe in into their lungs and this is very dangerous to human health”.
Lawson also complained of too much dusty particles flying around the environment.
She said the addition of the soot particles to the harmattan dust has made this year’s harmattan to be severe to human health.
Also speaking, Mrs. Damilola Adekunle said this year’s harmattan was different from previous year’s “because this one comes with dusty particles and black soot.
“The difference is that, the atmosphere temperature is hotter, drier and darker” he said.
Also speaking Simeon, a student of Government Secondary School, Eneka says “when the wind blows in the morning, it becomes cold and changes the looks of the environment and water in the day, it be comes hotter.
According to him, this period requires a lot of cream to be apply to the face and body in order to prevent it from dryness.
“This year’s harmattan is severe and if it continues, it will make the ground very strong and difficult for farmers to plant their crops”, he said.
Also speaking, Mr. John Jackson described the condition of the weather as very serious.
He noted the increase in respiratory infections, adding that government ought to dispatch its medical personnel round the communities to treat people as a result of inhaling dusty particles and soot.
Jackson commended the Rivers State Government for waging the war against Kporfire and enjoined all to support the Governor.
Also speaking, another environmentalist, Prince Williams Chinwo  blamed the severity of the harmattan on climate change.
He said climate change not only increaseds the severity of the harmattan but delays it from coming yearly.
Chinwo predicted that this year’s rainfall may toe the same line.

By: John Bibor & Oribim Ibama