Myself, My Home in Harmattan
Harmattan is defined by the Wikipedia on-line encyclopedia as a cold, dry and dusty trade wind (also known as the Northwesterly) usually blowing annually from the Sahara desert into the Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and middle of March. Harmattan is characterised by dry, cold and dust-laden wind with wide fluctuations in the ambient temperature of the day and the night. It also lowers humidity and dissipates cloud cover. However the three basic necessities of life are food (with water), shelter and clothing. The clothing has to do with the covering of our mortal body while the shelter protects us from the adverse weather conditions while also acting as a fortress against intruders. Modern science has proven that the rotation of the earth on it axis as it orbits the sun is responsible for the day and the night while its revolution gives rise to seasons. It takes the earth 365 days to complete its revolution around the sun. Harmattan as earlier mentioned, is a season that is active within the Gulf of Guinea. The Gulf of Guinea is the northeaster most part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between cape Lopez in Gabon, North and West to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The home is the shelter that protects man from inclement weather conditions which includes the harmattan season. It is therefore pertinent to examine the necessary steps towards making our homes conducive in the season. The harmattan wind is dust-laden and should be prevented from having access into the house. A good alternative could be to rely on mechanical ventilation through the use of air conditioning system but that might be outrageous for most people in terms of cost. We can reduce the inflow of dusty wind into our home by installing door closers. The closers reduce the time lapse between opening and closing of the door when in use. It is also advisable to check the air tightness of the windows while shut. Due to the wide differential in the ambient temperature between day and night, it is worth the while to have interior finishing that can ensure maximum comfort. The ambient temperature simply means the temperature of the surrounding air; in a room it is the temperature of the air in that room. The ceramic tiles are good for floor finish because they are good conductors of heat and they do not retain dust. You can keep the indoor warm too by using paints that retain heat but repel dust. Moreover allow your artificial light to be on when indoor to heat up the interior space. Silky materials for the window blind retain heat and keep the inside of the house warm and conducive. Wearing weather- friendly dressing is recommended during harmattan period. Silky materials and dark- coloured dressing retain heat while white apparel reflects solar radiation thereby taking away the heat needed for comfort. The windows in the NorthEast side of the house can be shut if that will not affect the natural light and ventilation into the house. Similarly if you are living in an apartment with paved surrounding, you can reduce the flow of dust into your house considerably by laying artificial carpet grass. The grass traps the dust and acts as air filter. Furthermore high-level windows such as windows for the toilets and the stores could be shut in harmattan because the hot air holds more dust than the cold making openings at higher levels much affected. Besides wash the curtains / blinds regularly to limit the amount of dust accumulation in the house. Living in and out of seasons is part of nature; it is therefore beneficial to make the most of it by ensuring that your home provides the much needed seasonal comfort in this period of the year.
Maduka, an Architect, writes from Lagos