Gambians recently woke up to a hazy weather condition that caused discomfort to many, especially those with certain heart conditions.
To proffer some explanation regarding the dusty and hazy weather was an award-winning Gambian environmentalist, Mr. Omar Malmo Sambou, who claimed it was purely due to the Harmattan (winds) that blows from the Sahara Desert over West Africa into the Gulf of Guinea, noting the Gambia is within that belt.
He made the elucidation on his Facebook page on February 18, 2021, wherein he responded to ensuing questions from concerned citizens over the rare weather conditions in the Gambia.
The Gambian environmentalist observed that such weather conditions are usually experienced by the Gambia between the end of November and middle of March. He explained the Harmattan brings desert-like weather conditions and lowers humidity, dissipates cloud cover, prevents rainfall formation, and sometimes, creates big clouds of dust which could result in dust storms or sandstorms.
“It affects visibility and can be regarded as a haze when extreme,” he stated.
It could be refreshed that the clearly dusty atmosphere filled with smoke-like airspace has eventually attracted different versions on Gambian social media platforms as to the potential cause of such atmospheric conditions, as many people blamed it on the effects of climate change and the human activities against the environment such as deforestation, desertification and the production of greenhouse gases.
Sambou’s position is that, it’s a natural phenomenon which could be increased by anthropogenic activities, and that the circumstances are characterized by dry and dusty north-easterly trade wind that emanates from the Sahara Desert.
Furthermore, Sambou, a lecturer at the University of The Gambia (UTG), warned that this hazy particles could sometimes affect the heart and lungs, especially among people with chronic heart or lung diseases, namely asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and heart failures.
The celebrated Gambian environmental activist’s advice is: “Exposure to it can be harmful. Keep your family and associates safe.”
