GMet Issues Public Advisory Over Dusty Weather

The Chief weather forecaster at the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet), Felicity Ahafianyo has disclosed that the agency is unable to check the quality of air within the environment because the required equipment is unavailable at the moment.

The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) exists to provide efficient and reliable meteorological information by collecting, processing, archiving, and disseminating meteorological information to end-users.

“Currently we are supposed to be measuring the air quality at the point of GMet but we don’t even have the equipment. I remember we used to have one but I am trying hard to see if we can have access to see if it is still working” Felicity Ahafianyo disclosed on 3FM Sunrise Morning Show

According to the chief forecaster, the harmattan condition is going to persist for a while. Thus, it is going to be dry and hazy, with poorer visibility, warm temperatures around 36, 37 for the north and around 34, 35 for the middle sector whereas the coastal strip is going to be around 31, 33 degrees Celsius.

She noted that the air is polluted and on a normal day, dust is very hazardous to humans because of its solid minute particles which can be easily inhaled into the lungs alongside other toxic substances such as carbon monoxide.

Felicity also advocates that given the current state of the air within the atmosphere, people should go back to wearing nose masks for self-protection for the time being because it is not yet established if it is acidic or something else.

“I am advocating that we all go back to the nose mask to protect ourselves for the time being because we don’t even know whether it is acidic, so let’s try our best as much as possible to limit our outdoor activities for now” she appealed

GMet issues public advisory over dusty weather

The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) has issued a public advisory over the current weather conditions in the country, particularly Accra.

It said the current condition is as a result of dust lifted from around Chad, Sudan and Niger, as detected on meteorological satellites.

“This dust was transported into the country by strong winds at lower levels of the atmosphere,” the Agency said in a statement on Monday, February 20.

It has, therefore, advised the public to observe the following precautions:

Keep hydrated
Follow fire safety precautions
Cover foods/water to prevent dust from settling on them
Wash fruits thoroughly before taking them
People allergic to dust are to wear nose masks to reduce the effect on them.
The Agency said the current weather condition may take some time to clear.

Meanwhile, Accra has been ranked the worst in terms of its air quality across the globe. It is followed by Lahore, Pakistan.