Thursday, M arch 15,1011
DAJLYTRUST
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Environment
The pains of weather forecasting-in Nigeria IS wdll5 physical dama~ to lnrra.slluctun roads. railwwy Iincs. tmommunication network.s..lo55011lvnanddisplac~mcntollargc
populltion due to diMUplkJn of agricuhun.i activities as a ~t of utrunc weather In' V'Crf liUly. ~As ClIp«ted duringthcOf1SC1 and CC$SI tion pmod or the r.tiny tnSOn. rainstorms KCompanicd by "mng wlfl(b arc expected O\'e:r the country. Thc likely incr~asc in the rrcqu~ocy and int~nsity of these a tmM wnthcrevents in the COllS1a1lrns will c:auw floodins and en»ion which mly ~t in Andshde and loss ofh'o'CS and rmrcrty t-I enc~. ther~ is Mfll ror S4!nsiUUlion by National Em~rRency Managem~nt Agency. NEMA, and Olh~r reknnl agen des to ~n~u~ adcquat~ ~mcrFncy rrcparcdnc:u ror auodllcd ns~ Ih~ NIMET bousaid The growmg~. he sald_ lIupeclcd to be nOflnal and would vary fmm 90-270 days The rainfall amounl would be from XM>rnm 10 IIOOmm In the northern half the- COUllI')' and In the South. 1200111111 2700mm "'hiCk may kad 10 IlIgh turrx~
or
runoff and fbsh floodmg.. "Fumnt In the ulrcnw northn-n pwts of tiM" count'l' and mVlmnJ an: t.Jtdy 10
. ,Mn Al:ct.
RECE-..rn.V. the Nalional Emngc:nq Mm~tt "smcY issotd.n alm 10 the InIWtIlilllls, flhtNIF~llnbn<:fupandp«' IMlf f. f the- wool u the fIIlninl ~ SdS Ul. Tho alert was not d.trnm, froml$lmilar
one ~, urd by I dq»nmcnl .1 1M ~I
MiniJt-yofEnviroomcnl In Dtcnnbcr2011 In ~.. Ic'llSofSokoto 1/1 nmthcrn r-;.gcriil ill('}I1l'irS them ofhcnl' rainfall C'Xp«lnt I\\,lcb", ~that had the- poil'nlbl ofc:aus
l!lgh'IOIL inodenu oiled 1IiJo\~ arc cum· i'w become " COIIlImWl occur m\ablthecountry... ~O'"orpnlSl lions.lhdr own instancccaU preuconfa
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mc:e5N~int~to l htoI1lft!UlWlIIrn
in,
tht ·Of Ihat rommunkyof.n
impmding
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Tbtdndopmmt,KCUflIingloJdmtOO is not 11II1y W(WT15Offi(' but has 1M polenliill ofhringu,& 10 diuqJUlc the KieneI' or mdcoltllotrl in thecountry. Gothrtn Onyebuchi, I acawncd mctcoroioslM AJd the ck¥dopfnent remained
• surJ"liic. Considcrins INI nlO5t of those: 81ringoutin~o( impmdlngh;.l'QC ~ not ill • position 10 do.to, not haft any
pro(nuonal knowtedrF of the sector. In Itw tut few ynn, Ihccountry hu WIt nasal • lot of havoc occasiontd br hca"1 ralnl .:or other wathcr-rdatcd amunIlanccs,)"d Ni~ In such Ioations WI!:Jt' not akrtcd 10 ma1tt ptqMnt50ns.. Thrtnlesoffloodil1Ain I. . . .nd lbadan which left lhousan<b of NIgrram ~ ks5 and scom of othns ckad 15 ShU rresh In our rtI nds.1'ro!* in s.uch., Sokotoand Ith~~~iltnan~ toll':'COYef"rrom
Imtn. Uf Io!Md OOH, hnd'! crop5 met homf"S
los! In r«ftlt 1100d thai iJ gntdaWly b«ornIng a ~st~nI occurl1.'l\« in the North where c:a~ or l\xKIing w«e ~ml In theptit Inother Arriain coo.ntrJt:5suet. as "outh Arrlca and Kenya. ttw-~rlq dT«:lnl:' and Kcurat~ ownt,," f'ot~II'gSotn'Ka"hkh even markc'l women. rMmr" among othen based thar daily adi\,hn (,n butlhc r~f\'e IS the c:aK 111 N'gcr~ Mftlhtl worken, indutling tnow dnn Ing strccU, shop ~fI madsKl~ haw~ in South A rrica usually pbn their da)'l hued on 1M WC'IIIOO rorecast 'lid iI 51cad, mom tOf'"B oJ forca.sc In 20 I I sOOwcd iI nnI 95 pn «Ill perrCC1Kl1n as cornpared 10 25 per emt kIrcot5t in NiFiaThco NiGCr~n Mdcorolopcal A~ncy (NIMm. the ~rnmcnl agency dwgcd with 'the responsibillly ~t1ng lb.la on weather. has oflale bun upbeat on the wcathc:r SItuation In the country. Rccftltly, II presented the 20 12 ~I Rai nrall Prediction (20 12 SRP) wit h the Director- Gcnmll, I)" An thony Anuforom. sayjng there wuuId be irnsu1ar flooding iIlKl m>SM)fl in $Om(' pam or the country. cspc' daIty the coastal roue and ~ cauhmc:nI
or
u ....
AnulOrom urrJ the rdcvant cmcrzmcJ' agcncics.ililtegovanmcnlsand the FcdmII ~~t to crate aw;uCJ1C:ll in order 10 rNu« destruction and "'" orUvu and
"""""" II~
Aid I hcr~ would Ilkdy be a oonnal
tI~pMnlin8snsoo wuuId v;uyrrolll90· 270 Wro)'S wIlh most putS ohhe counlry aperl
mc1ns normal growmg $C1IMlO "'atn, acc.ordin8lO hun, woWd haW' lhe hJshcst knsth of rainfall JCUOfl With 247 lbys and 2.649mm of ramran, WhKh stiilfU MafCh 7 t.o JI'ovmIbct 3. 201 Z. foOownI bylNdan Wllh 246daysand 1.27Smm. The rains In IhaWn Jre upcctcd 10 lIaft rrom March 26 to Non~lI1bct 27, 1012 while Nguru has the shorlest Iftlgth of rainrall JCUOII of9J darsof 1.675mm_ This will run from /o-w JO 10 OCIobcr J, 20 12. roUowed by Potlskum ,.,lh II) days of 494mm ofrain &I. ThcnullSafCUpcdedtoliartrrom 111M 2J 10 last till OCIobcr 2012. Anororomllatcd that. ~rOl' the hydmk>gJ c:aJ and WlIIter raoufCft S«Ior. thif imp(1CS ade<ju,Jle WlIIICT and stream-flows whkh mar affcct the dam S1cngcs fOr munldpil WlIIICT supply, hydropower gmtralion and imgllion. 11cnu. ~t and rtgUbr maintftlanceof dams ror dry scuon Irriplion aoo w.IItCT supply dK>Uld be kCOtdcd high priority l ie stated thai episodic tkxMJln! and CTO-&ion in thecoastalwocand rivncat ~1 aleas may be incTitabk and;as suet. adcqu;1le publicity would be mpllrcd to reduce dam age and rblc of klMcs of life and property.
rrom
.....
cspcdaDy In lIftS rronc to rlYCf b.nk 0Yn Ikil:alcd llul the prediCIcd IIOI'"mal Rln
(all mar IUUh In Ram floodlng. puUcuwty
In Ihcnorthttn lIata It shouldalsobenoted that ~ speDs and l1ash floods could occur the count ry bc1WttO b le FdJruary (in the even in IICIS with a likelihood of Mar nor5OUlhcmmost J'lrI oflhecoontry), antI lut mal to below normal rainfall Wftk of lu n~ (in II~ northernmost part Such nash I100ds may kad to phpical the country), d~. to crapt In the f.rld, agricultural . • ~ ~y rrcdkted tiu.lthe bgth of • cqulrmcnt and structures (tudi IS dams). omeI of rainrall In 2012 in mod parts or
or
rKe atlxb of ~ Idcw:rt locust). llowCT.fccdmg insects. millet heotd mnltn and gntin C'IItlng binD (qucla birds and other ~nvimmocntl11 maled crop dlsaKS) The necessary measurcs to addr_ SIKh thmts ~hould. therd"nn:. 1x,,...1 In pI;K~by reI~t agricultural alension Sl:'n'K-ef. Ru l high Igricuhun.i yicldslrelikdyovcr Ih~ sannrW1 rq;ions IS a raul! of adcqtute nllllrilll apcc:lcd ~r the ltC'll In IJOUth ern ~ whc~ .Jcqual~ rainr.1I1S a1~ ap«tcd. good cernland root crop yidds arc IiUll fannm: In thlf ~.r,.nd lhe cm lral put olthc countr,. shook! !'illtl tuber crop;s immcdUltely lhor pndic1cd dales an: altalllcd,"horadvwd The prcdktions by thor NIMET boss, KCording to t:J;pcrts WillS comrrehCflSl!ol:' ilnd Allow n:asonabk lime for rcWvanllgcnoc:s to kq in and plan ~xlmslY'CIy ror any even tuality But tMy ~ waryoCthc ability 0( stale gowornnltllU and other agcrICJCI to uhlise thor Wrol. gr:nttatcd by N IM.ET as "''leU as the cfftCaCyofthc (If"cdKCIOfl. obscnrcrs wtU the Of'Inion that the- pndktion In the country was aJ~ wwning pohLkal cokktralion IS the)' iUkcd irNlMET released such rrcdktion last)'C1lf last ynr. many Niguum dkd from Ilood· relaled incideont.. was it that rckvanl a~ and Ilat~ gow<rnment railed to adhere to ale rt issued by NIMl:"T or the: rrcdiclkw railcd~ Q\arles Amch. In Ahujabased cnglnctt said that Niserlan, should hold stlt~ goycrnmmu responsible lOr the
.so.oc
or
dlAStcn thl1t bcl"all the country_ "N1 101 F:T as .n insUlution had
~ II dUly Flnl N'tgoerians the ~ictkwl wdl ahead of time. but the In.r is. will stIla usc the <lau rdcucd r« planning purposes'
Am<h ....... As the rains arc bdns ClI:pcdtd. the responsibilities of ensuring I disuter-rr« ),"r rnt with all Nigerians cspeclally 5tat~ go'\nnmcnlJ. N IM ET too stKJ..lld flOC relent in constantly bnnging to lhe fore dlsaster prOfMj stales 50 that Nig,crunsc:an hold ~ go'\nlKll' rcsponsiblef'or iaKlion