El Niño In Nigeria

 10 Things you need to know about El Niño in Nigeria.

Think of the Pacific Ocean like the world's biggest swimming pool. On a normal day, strong winds carry warm water from America all the way to Australia. When that warm water leaves, cold water rises near South America. This back-and-forth is what keeps our weather normal. But sometimes, the wind gets tired and stops blowing. So the warm water that should have traveled to Australia just sits near America. That big patch of warm water heats up the air above it, and that is what scientists call El Niño - it is Spanish for "the little boy."

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*10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EL NIÑO*

10 Things You Need To Know About El Niño

And How It Affects Nigeria

By Roland PDR

 1. WHAT IS IT?*

El Niño is not a person. It is a time when the Pacific Ocean near America becomes unusually warm. It happens every 2 to 7 years. El Niño means "Little Boy" in Spanish.

2. HOW DOES IT HAPPEN?*

Normally, wind pushes warm water from America to Australia. During El Niño, the wind gets weak and stops. So warm water stays in America and heats up the whole sky. That spoils weather around the world.

3. IT IS NOT IN NIGERIA, BUT IT AFFECTS US*

El Niño happens very far away in the Pacific Ocean, but because the sky is connected like one big blanket, it confuses Nigeria's weather too.

 IT CONFUSES OUR RAIN*

In the North (Sokoto, Kano, Katsina) - it causes drought. Rain comes late or not at all. Farms dry up.

In the South (Lagos, Port Harcourt, Bayelsa) - it can cause too much rain and serious flooding.

5. IT MAKES NIGERIA HOTTER*

El Niño raises temperature everywhere in Nigeria. It feels like being locked inside a hot car. More heat means more tiredness and heat sickness, especially for children and old people.

6. IT MAKES FOOD EXPENSIVE*

When there is drought in the North, farmers harvest less. Less harvest means less food in the market. When food is scarce, garri, rice, maize, tomatoes and pepper become very expensive.

7. IT BRINGS MORE SICKNESS*

More heat = more mosquitoes = more malaria.

Flood water in the South can enter wells and boreholes, causing typhoid and diarrhea.

 8. IT CAN AFFECT LIGHT AND BUSINESS*

When dams have less water due to drought, we have less hydro-power. When floods spoil roads, market goods cannot move. So business and even electricity can be affected.

9 & 10. IT HAS AN OPPOSITE & IT WILL END*

*9. The Opposite:* The opposite of El Niño is La Niña, when the ocean becomes extra cold and causes different problems.

*10. It Will End:* El Niño is not permanent. It lasts for 9 to 12 months, then weather returns to normal. What we need to do is prepare, plant early, clear drainages, and store water.

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Since the whole sky is connected like one blanket, when one side of the blanket gets too hot, it spoils the weather in other countries, including Nigeria.

Here is how it affects us in Nigeria:

1. It scatters our rainfall.

During El Niño, rain may come very late or be too small. In the North like Sokoto, Kano and Katsina, it causes dryness and drought, so farms dry up and crops like corn and rice can fail.

But in the South like Lagos, Port Harcourt and Bayelsa, it can pour too much rain at once and cause serious floods.

2. It makes the heat worse.

The whole country feels hotter than usual, like sitting inside a hot bus with no AC. People feel more tired and can easily fall sick from the heat.

3. It makes food cost more.

When northern farms don't get rain, they produce less food. If there is less garri, rice, tomatoes and pepper in the market, their price will go up for everybody.

 4. It causes more sickness.

Too much heat plus dirty flood water brings more mosquitoes, so malaria increases. Flood water can also spoil our wells and cause stomach problems.

In simple words: El Niño is hot water stuck far away in America, but it heats the whole atmosphere and gives Nigeria less rain in the North, too much flood in the South, extra heat, and higher food prices.

Its opposite is La Niña, which happens when the ocean water becomes unusually cold.