Dust to Dust

This was supposed to look cooler.

As the new year rings in, the dry season has come with a vengeance. Accra is hot, dry and dusty.

The year in West Africa is separated largely into two seasons: wet and dry. The wet season is when farmers grow their crops and people enjoy the double-edged sword of cool weather and breeding mosquitoes. After October, the rains stop and the winds from the Sahara (known as the harmattan) slowly creep south, bringing the desert dust along for the ride. The lack of rain and clouds and dry air make for an intense heat. Meanwhile, every surface, from tables to tennis courts is quickly covered in a layer of red dust.

This year, the harmattan is particularly strong. Unlike last year, there has been nary a drop of rain in Accra to keep the red dust down and the city has become blanketed in it. On some days, visibility is reduced to a few hundred metres and one can stare directly at the sun by 3pm, so thick is the dust. Even washing the car seems pointless, so quickly it is soiled again. Yet, it is more than just a nuisance: everybody is getting sick, asthma sufferers rarely venture outside and flights are being cancelled, as planes cannot safely land on the runway in Tamale. It has been suggested that this year's cocoa crop is at risk due to the stress on the trees.

How dusty is it? Even the trees could use a wash.

In North America, climate change is still a topic of heated discussion, with a shrinking minority unconvinced. Go to Ghana and one would be very hard pressed to find a denier -  from farmers to politicians, everyone is concerned about the increasing temperatures, erratic rainfall and desertification in the region. Last year, the city had regular rains throughout the dry season, which was itself an anomaly. This year, the opposite is occurring.

On the bright side, the dust counters the thick humidity and reduces the intensity of the sun, which means that the mornings are nice and cool and the days are not too intense. Even with the intense heat, the local pool is surprisingly chilly.