Introduction
“Extreme heat waves could kill 204000 women annually across India, Nigeria, and the United States”- Arsht-Rocks Research
When I stumbled upon the above prediction during this research, I was jolted and pushed to dig into the devastating effect of the new silent killer called “heat waves”.
According to the World Meteorological Organization, heat waves refers to a period where local excess heat accumulates over a sequence of unusually hot days and nights. There have been cases of heat waves in the past but recently when hell was let loose upon Nigeria, many began to question if the world was ending. Some even went further to say that, we were experiencing extreme heat because of the sins of Nigerians. While we may not dwell upon these schools of thought, we need to move further.
Causes of heat waves
*Global warming: Due to the increase in the earth’s temperature because of fossil fuel burning and industrialization, the intensity of heat in the atmosphere increases, giving way to heat waves.
*High atmospheric pressure systems: When high-pressure systems stall over the country, they trap warm air near the earth's surface. This prevents the normal movement of air masses, which leads to prolonged hot weather.
*Urban heat island effect: In major cities like Abuja and Lagos with high population densities, extensive concrete, and limited vegetation, it is difficult for heat in the environment to be absorbed. This limitation creates localized zones of higher temperatures that translate to heat waves.
Drought and dry conditions: Prolonged periods of droughts in the absence of rainfall dries out the soil and reduces moisture levels. This leads to the easy heat up of the country.
Deforestation: According to the World Resource Institute, deforestation can lead to an average increase of 4.4 degrees of warming in daily high temperatures in the tropics.
*Climate variability: Natural climatic variations are also capable of influencing the weather patterns to increase the impact of heat waves.
*Geography: The geographical location of Nigeria and its closeness to the equator belt also contributes to the impact of heat waves being experienced.
*Change in wind patterns: When there is a shift in wind patterns, hot air can be transported from Northern to Southern Nigeria to cause heat waves.
*Topography: How high or low a place is another determinant of heat waves. Places like Benue, Nasarawa, and Kogi State located in the Nigerian valley are capable of trapping hot air that causes spikes in temperature.
*Unfavourable human practices: Due to the poor use of land and irrigation practices, the surface area of the country is often altered to accommodate pockets of heat wave development.
Open grazing and overgrazing: As animals graze the fields of Nigeria, uncontrolled droppings from these animals generate excess methane gases that heat the atmosphere to generate heat waves.
Effects of heat waves
*Heat waves encourage the spread of diseases like meningitis that are capable of increasing mortality rates. It also causes cancer, hyperthermia, and heat stroke.
*Accidents are very common during periods of heat waves in Nigeria. This happens because when tyres heat up, they burst during transit to cause road accidents.
*Disasters like droughts and wildfires are exacerbated during periods of extreme heat.
*As a cook, I have observed that food gets spoilt easily when there are heat waves. This seeming loss coupled with the epileptic power supply makes it difficult for food vendors to break even in their businesses.
*Heat waves encourage the spoilage of stored agricultural products. With farmers lacking adequate storage facilities to preserve their farm harvest, heat waves end up frustrating food security through the spoilage of agricultural products.
*Theft has increased because of the heat waves. With Nigerians now in the habit of opening their windows and sleeping outside to get fresh air, criminals are taking advantage of the situation to inflict pain on the common person.
*Heat waves stress livestock and limit development. This contributes to decreased milk production, slower growth rate, and lower conception.
*Since many women work in heat-related environments, increased heat waves can widen the economic inequality divide between genders.
Possible solutions
*Reducing pollution: Pollution is a leading generator of greenhouse gases across the globe. To this end, Nigerians should take up the responsibility of caring for the environment to limit the escape of heat into the atmosphere.
*Use of renewable energy: With the world transitioning to the use of renewable energy sources, we need to follow suit to reduce our carbon footprint.
*Afforestation: Every Nigerian should be tasked to plant a tree in one’s lifetime. This will help in arresting deforestation and absorbing excess heat generated by the ecosystem.
*Energy conservation: Nigerians should be admonished to conserve energy during periods of heat waves to reduce strain on the national grid.
*Adaptive measures: The government should adopt sustainable agricultural practices, enforce water management, and improve health policies capable of developing long-term climatic adaptation among Nigerians.
*Heat-resistant infrastructure: The construction industry should start designing heat-resistant structures that will be capable of withstanding rising temperatures to protect Nigerians.
*Urban planning and design: When Nasir Elrufai started demolishing illegal structures in Abuja to restore its original plan, many kicked against it for selfish reasons. As a nation, we need to incorporate green spaces into planning to cool our cities and shield us from excessive heat waves.
*Establishment of cooling centres for the vulnerable: Through the provision of public cooling centres, children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with heat-related challenges can be catered for during heat waves.
*Public awareness and education: Before heat waves, Nigerians should be sensitized on how to stay safe. This could be through the promotion of hydration, provision of shades, and discouraging people from engaging in outdoor activities during peak heat periods.
*Research and monitoring: Institutions of learning across the country should be adequately funded to gather data about heat waves and proffer heat mitigation strategies.
*Collaboration: The public, government, and NGOs should team up to sustainably use available resources without abuse during the generation of energy.
*Emergency response planning: The National Emergency Management Agency should establish a response team that will train professionals at the community level to diagnose and effectively manage health-related illnesses during critical periods.
*Production of artificial rain: In developed countries, drones are being used to aggregate the atmosphere to release rainfall. Adopting this as a nation will help in regulating the temperature of the country during heat waves.
Reference:
www.wmo.imt/heatwaves
https://www.nextias.com/blog/heatwaves
https://leadership.ng/heat-waves-may-kill-204000-women-in-nigeria-others-report