When we talk about harmattan, two things that always come to bear are cold and dryness. In this article, I'm highlighting the firsthand advantages of harmattan to humanity.
1. Sound Sleep:
It is better to sleep in a cold room than under heat. There's always a way out to warm up yourself when you can't bear the cold anymore, such as wearing pullovers, covering blankets. But if there's no power supply to run the fans, A.Cs., or the world stands still and no wind is blowing, you'll feel like hell is let loose, and sleep always run kilometers away from you.
2. Cold Sun:
Have you noticed that it is in the season of harmattan that the sun becomes cold? The sun can never be cold for any reason though. But the coldness that accompanies the dry air in this case makes the sun enjoyable. We already know what we passed through when the harmattan wasn't there, the sun was mad, hot, and makes me wonder what will befall the earth in ten years time from now. But with the entrance of harmattan, I almost forgot that thought.
3. Clothes Are Dried Easily:
Recall when you used to wash clothes and wait a whole day or next for them to be put to use. Today, you can easily wash and wear within thirty minutes to one hour. That serves you the stress of washing, thinking of when they'll be ready for ironing, and provides you an opportunity to do all your laundry within few hours of the same day.
4. Frequent Drinking of Water:
The same way our clothes are dried with speed during harmattan, is the same way our bodies tend to lose body fluids easily. I've noticed that my water drinking level has increased a lot this season. In normal days, I can do with 2 to 3 litres of water. But of recent, my budget for water has increased to about 5 to 7 litres a day. Water is good for the body since its duty is to cleanse, regulate the body temperature and also aids in digestion. If this continues, you'll notice that there will be a reduction in the number of those people with kidney related problems.
5. Fruiting:
Observe that the heavy rate of harmattan always usher in a good season of all the fruits. In times like this, you can have a good quantity of mixed fruits in a very moderate amount. We're all aware of what functions fruits can do to the body.
6. Lower Rate of Malaria:
Malaria Parasites are always carried around by female anopheles mosquitoes. These mosquitoes survive around stagnant waters or in the bush if there are water on the leaves. But since harmattan comes with dryness, we'll have less "stubborn" mosquitoes surviving. The decrease in the number of surviving mosquitoes also brings about the decrease in the transmission of malaria parasites in this season.
7. Modesty:
The weather has compelled a lot of people(especially ladies) who are fond of going around with skimpy dresses to become sensible, and start wearing good clothes.
8. Food Preservation:
How does harmattan help in food preservation? Okay! In my area, the only ways of food preservation are, steaming, canning, warming, freezing, drying, salting etc. Of all these, freezing appears to be the most dependable method because it still maintains the originality of the food over time. Though this requires electricity which may not be readily available, hence, the need to generate your own power independently comes to play. This is highly expensive. Imagine spending four thousand (4,000) naira to prepare a little pot of soup, only to spend 5,000 to 7,000 naira or more to preserve it in the freezer. Does that make any sense? No! Because of this, most people will consider eating fresh meals in the restaurants instead.
But with the advent of harmattan, you can save your money. How? You don't need electricity for your freezers again. Since the surrounding temperature is already cold, just allow your food to be in the pot, keep it anywhere in the kitchen, cover it and see the wonders that your pot will automatically turn to freezer, thereby transferring the cold straight to the food inside. In seasons like this, you don't need to kill yourself by drinking ice water. Any water you drink now has been naturally frozen.
Is our God not a Mysterious God?
So when next you see harmattan, try and do away with its bad side and look forward to the goodness it brings. Enjoy the season, at least at some points in life, we have to behave like the Americans.