Heatwave conditions will cause chaos in Cameroon, NOCC warns
The National Observatory on Climate Change, NOCC, has warned that heatwave conditions will cause chaos in Cameroon until January 20, 2024, exceeding historical averages and posing risks to agriculture, health and safety.
According to the NOCC’s latest 10-Day Climate Bulletin, the driest dry season is expected in many localities across the North, Far North, Centre, and East regions, with maximum temperatures reaching 35-37°C. This period will likely be the hottest on record for this year in the past 45 years.
Apart from the North West and South West regions that have been spared from this scary situation, the heatwave is raising concerns for several sectors. In agriculture, the bulletin predicts a scarcity of water resources for highly dependent crops in the Sudano-Sahelian and Guinean high savannah zones.
Additionally, the intense heat could degrade and destroy plantations by bushfires in the bimodal rainfall forest zone, and deteriorate the plant health of crops throughout the country, especially in the far South.
Human health is also at risk, with an increase in respiratory illnesses due to dust particles in the air, as well as meningitis and Conjunctivitis caused by the combination of heat, dust, and high winds.
Safety concerns are also mounting, with the NOCC warning of a progressive risk of conflict between farmers and herders, and within herder groups, in the Far North and North regions over access to water resources and grazing land.
