PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
Meteorologists warn of 'excessive rainfall' in West Africa
Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - Climate experts, hydrologists and agro-meteorologists are warning that the West African region will experience excessive rain this year, leading to flooding and rivers overflowing their banks.
They met in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, for two days under the aegis of the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD) and AGRHYMET, a specialized agency of the Permanent Inter-State Fight against Drought in the Sahel.
Urging meteorologists to monitor the weather from July to September, they said at the end of their meeting that there was the possibility of River Niger overflowing its banks as a result of predicted average to excess flow.
The overflow of River Niger caused most of the flooding experienced in about 10 States in Nigeria leading to massive failure of agricultural products, destruction of houses and deaths in communities living along its banks.
Other rivers which are predicted to have excess water or above average precipitation in the region this year include Senegal, Volta, Gambia, Lake Chad Basin, Comoé, and Ouémé.
The experts, in a communique obtained on Saturday, said: "Average to excess flows are expected in the upper and middle part of the Niger River basin, while in the lower part of the basin especially the Nigerian section there are probabilities of excess flows."
The workshop was organized by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the African Centre for Meteorological Application for Development (ACMAD) to discuss the 16th Regional Climate Outlook forum for West Africa, Chad and Cameroon.
The communication officer of AGRHYMET, Mr. Umar Dieye, who read the communique, said a global wet season in West Africa and especially in the West of Sahel was expected in 2013.
Dieye said in the Western Sahel, from Senegal and Mauritania to the west of Niger and to the centre of Niger, normal or slightly above normal rainfall was expected.
In the East of the Sahel from Lake Chad to the centre of Chad, normal or slightly deficient rainfall was expected while along the Gulf of Guinea from Cameroon to Liberia, normal or slightly deficient rainfall was expected, he said. In the rest of the sub-region, normal rainfall was expected, he added.
Speaking on the impact on agriculture, the climate experts warned that with these forecasts, there was a risk of heavy rain which could cause flooding and severe damage including loss of cultivated areas.
They said these conditions were also favourable for the breeding of pests, including grasshoppers, for which monitoring and prevention measures should be strengthened.
Pointing out that the forecasts were likely to change during the rainy season, Dieye stressed the need to follow the updates that would be made in June and July by AGRHYMET Regional Centre, ACMAD and national meteorological and hydrological services.
-0- PANA MON/MA 1June2013
They met in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, for two days under the aegis of the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD) and AGRHYMET, a specialized agency of the Permanent Inter-State Fight against Drought in the Sahel.
Urging meteorologists to monitor the weather from July to September, they said at the end of their meeting that there was the possibility of River Niger overflowing its banks as a result of predicted average to excess flow.
The overflow of River Niger caused most of the flooding experienced in about 10 States in Nigeria leading to massive failure of agricultural products, destruction of houses and deaths in communities living along its banks.
Other rivers which are predicted to have excess water or above average precipitation in the region this year include Senegal, Volta, Gambia, Lake Chad Basin, Comoé, and Ouémé.
The experts, in a communique obtained on Saturday, said: "Average to excess flows are expected in the upper and middle part of the Niger River basin, while in the lower part of the basin especially the Nigerian section there are probabilities of excess flows."
The workshop was organized by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the African Centre for Meteorological Application for Development (ACMAD) to discuss the 16th Regional Climate Outlook forum for West Africa, Chad and Cameroon.
The communication officer of AGRHYMET, Mr. Umar Dieye, who read the communique, said a global wet season in West Africa and especially in the West of Sahel was expected in 2013.
Dieye said in the Western Sahel, from Senegal and Mauritania to the west of Niger and to the centre of Niger, normal or slightly above normal rainfall was expected.
In the East of the Sahel from Lake Chad to the centre of Chad, normal or slightly deficient rainfall was expected while along the Gulf of Guinea from Cameroon to Liberia, normal or slightly deficient rainfall was expected, he said. In the rest of the sub-region, normal rainfall was expected, he added.
Speaking on the impact on agriculture, the climate experts warned that with these forecasts, there was a risk of heavy rain which could cause flooding and severe damage including loss of cultivated areas.
They said these conditions were also favourable for the breeding of pests, including grasshoppers, for which monitoring and prevention measures should be strengthened.
Pointing out that the forecasts were likely to change during the rainy season, Dieye stressed the need to follow the updates that would be made in June and July by AGRHYMET Regional Centre, ACMAD and national meteorological and hydrological services.
-0- PANA MON/MA 1June2013
