In Sokoto state, the dry season is sweltering, hot and partly cloudy. Over the year, the temperature typically varies from 17°C to 40°C. The hot season lasts 2.2 months from mid-March to late May, with an average daily high temperature above 38°C. The hottest month in Sokoto is April, with an average high of 40°C and a low of 26°C.
From April 1st, 2024, the day in Sokoto starts with a temperature of between 38°C to 40°C. The sun comes up around 7:35 am and gets very hot by 11:00 am until 5:45 pm when it goes down. Even at night, with temperatures between 26°C and 28°C, the houses get even hotter making the people unable to sleep well.
ASHENEWS discovered that several people across the state now prefer sleeping outside because it is cooler than inside their houses. Some of the residents told our reporter that when they sleep inside their houses at night, they have to take 2 or 3 baths to cool down.
In several parts of the state, people are upset because there is usually no electricity at night, and the temperatures get really high making children feel uncomfortable and unable to sleep.
In Sokoto state, electricity is no more reliable. The Electricity Distributor Company does not give enough power supply to the residents. Officials at the electricity distribution company who spoke to our reporter in confidence claimed that the transformers get too hot when they supply power and they have to put it off to prevent it from getting faulty.
How Sokoto residents are coping with the hot weather
Dorcas Adams lives on Gusau Road in Sokoto state and has five children. She says she and the children always sleep outside because their house gets too hot at night especially as they rarely have power supply. “Me and my children spread mats outside from 7:00 pm until 4 or 5:00 am when temperatures get cooler.
“My husband works in Kano state, so he’s not always here with us. Whenever I tell him on the phone that we are sleeping outside because it is too hot inside, he tells us that where he stays in Kano, there is always electricity at night so they do not feel the heat that much.”
Dorcas used to rely on the power supply but now she has lost hope in them. No matter how much she hopes there will be light at night, she ends up being disappointed. “And even if they do bring the light, it only lasts for less than 30 minutes”, she lamented.
Mr Godwin Olaniyi who lives alone also on Gusau Road said that before dawn, he takes his bath three or four times due to the heat at night. Olaniyi further explained that sometimes bathing does not reduce the head and he has to complement this with a hand fan.
“It is surprising that after I fall asleep, a few hours later, I begin to sweat again, so I have to take my bath several times at night. I am the type of person who does not like sleeping outside, no matter how hot it gets inside my apartment. I open both doors, lock the screen door, and open all my windows to let in the breeze, but my apartment still gets hot no matter what I do.
“Sometimes, when I go to work and feel the air conditioning in my office from morning to evening, I don’t want to leave because it is so hot in my apartment. The power supply is not helping us at all during this hot season”, he complained.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) says high temperatures kill hundreds of people every year. It states that heat-related deaths and illnesses are preventable, yet approximately 1,220 people die from extreme heat every year in the United States.
Research shows that the human body can get too hot from the outside environment and the heat produced inside the body. If people are exposed to hot conditions, their bodies struggle to cool down, and they can get sick. The body can experience heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and hyperthermia.
Intense heat can also cause other health problems. It can change how people act, spread diseases, make it hard for health services to work well, and affect air quality, energy and water systems. The amount of heat that affects the health of a person depends on how hot it gets, how used the person is to it, and how well our communities and systems can handle it.
CDC also stated that those who are at the highest risk of being affected by heat include people 65 and older, children younger than two, and people with chronic diseases or mental illness.
The main things that affect a person’s ability to cool itself during extremely hot weather include when the humidity is high, sweat won’t evaporate as quickly. This keeps the body from releasing heat as fast as it may need to.
Age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use can also play a role in whether a person can cool off enough in very hot weather.
How businesses are coping with the heat
Businesses across Sokoto state who sell cold drinks find themselves buying ice blocks to keep their drinks cold for customers.
Speaking with ASHENEWS, Linda Babalola, a teacher with Bravo International School on Airport Road in Sokoto State said that in the morning when she gets to work, she becomes sweaty very early. She disclosed that some students bring hand fans from home to cool themselves down.
Babalola, a trader, disclosed that the heat has made staying in her shop unbearable due to the unavailability of electricity. This situation makes her stay in a shady spot close to her shop to get some breeze.
Schools are on break now, so I usually go to my shop every morning and return in the evening. To my surprise, we haven’t had a power supply for some days now, and the heat in my shop is unbearable. I look for a shady spot close to my shop to catch some breeze.
“When I want to eat in my shop, I buy cold water. I used to buy pure water for N20, but now, it is N30 for a cold one. Some are not cold because of the hot sun. Even if you put ice blocks to cool the pure water, they melt after a while and the water gets warm.
Mr Daniel Chukwumezie lives in Unguwar Kwasai area beside the Army barracks and sells bottled water and soft drinks. He has to buy iced blocks for N300 because of the heat and lack of electricity to keep his drinks cold.
“As I am speaking with you now, I have to buy ice blocks three times a day because they melt in just three hours. With the sun so hot, the water gets warm quickly, and customers always want cold water, whether there is electricity or not.
“I started my business last November and have not saved enough money to buy solar panels. Three weeks ago, Sunking came to advertise their solar panels to us. When I asked about the one with a refrigerator, I was told it would cost N45,000 for installation alone, and then I have to pay N30,000 every month for 18 months. That is too expensive for me, so I have to stick to buying ice blocks”, Daniel said.
Suleman Musa who sells pure water by carrying it on his head told our Reporter that he usually buys a bag of cold pure water for N270 and sells one for N25.
According to Musa, he is always under the sun from morning to evening. “I buy my cold water in the morning when the sun is out and sell it until the sun goes down. I buy about 10 bags per day because there is a high demand for cold water.
“The sun is very hot but it helps me sell my water faster than before. Earlier, I used to sell about three to four bags per day, but now, in just over an hour, I am done with one bag and getting requests for more”, he said with a smile on his face.
Experts speak
Health experts have explained that some sicknesses like heat rashes, coughs and sinus infections often known as catarrh. Chidozone Tony, a Pharmacist who owns Jonmez Pharmacy in Sokoto North said that the heat also causes a feeling called Malaise which is when people feel sick even though nothing is wrong with them.
“We do not buy much of diapers this period because they do not sell well. Our clients say that it causes heat rash for their children. The only drugs that sell well now are those for coughs and catarrh.
“The heat is very strong these days, that is why you hardly see children wearing clothes this season. The heat causes a feeling called Malaise. Malaise is when you feel sick even though you are not. Since there is usually no electricity, people do not sleep well at night, and in the morning, they start buying drugs for body pain, not realizing it is Malaise that is making them feel unwell.
ASHENEWS spoke with Dr. Lawal Shehu from the Specialist Hospital on Sultan Abubakar Road, he said that the change in weather is making some people sick. He added that patients in the hospital are not recovering well because the heat makes their medications less effective in this weather.
Lawal said, “No patients have been admitted solely because of the heat, but there are cases like hyperthyroidism, where the heat worsens the sickness in patients we have admitted. The heat does not often affect our skin because our skin colour protects us from the sun’s effects.
“When it is super hot outside, people can get sick from the heat. They can get heat stroke which is the worst kind of heat sickness. This happens when your body cannot handle the heat anymore. Your temperature shoots up fast, you stop sweating, and your body cannot cool down. This is why we encourage our patients to bathe regularly.”
How to cope with hot weather
Recommendations by the Center for Disease Control on how to take protective actions to prevent illness or death during hot weather include, staying in air-conditioned buildings, drinking more water than usual, not waiting until you are thirsty to drink, limiting outdoor activity, especially midday when the sun is hottest and wearing lightweight, loose-fitting clothing.
Other measures include taking cool showers or baths to cool down, checking on friends and neighbours and having someone check on you, and never leaving children or pets in cars.
