Climate change hits Umuaka the second time.
2 min read
This is exactly one year when Umuaka Times came up with a story titled, Climate Change Hits Umuaka. In the story, the newspaper x-rayed how the ember months of 2020 came with no harmattan. Just exactly one year later, another phase of climate change has hit the community. Umuaka Times findings show that even in the last days of November, the rainy season has refused to come to an end.
Hon Emma Izunwa, the IMC councilor representing Ward 1 in the community was the fellow who raised the alarm about the effects of climate change in the community last week. In a press release issued by the councilor early last week, the politician complained that the rain that fell within the week was purely black and was not good enough for anything except to flush the toilet. Hear him: “Yesterday our community recorded about 120mm of rainfall in two hours occasioned by wild wind cum thunderstorm. To my astonishment, the water collected from this heavy down pour was totally black and only good for flushing the toilet.”
Umuaka Times got in contact with Hon Izunwa and asked him to buttress more on his experience on the black rainfall, he seriously lamented that it has happened more than once and the issue of climate change has already hit Umuaka. “This is the second time this incident of black rain is taking place.
I know it has been happening but I have recorded it two times in a row. I had my bucket on top of the wall to collect this water and to amazement, it prove the first incident right. It will take a careful person to get to the point of my findings. As person, I have continued to make my findings in this little corner that I hibernate. Climatic change in Africa is getting to an unimaginable level.
Do you know it is still raining heavily here by this time.”
Talking of how he came about the discovery, Hon Izunwa explained to Umuaka Times how it all began. “I first witnessed this in Port Harcourt where illegal refining of crude oil is very rife. What is happening now looks like the illegal refining of crude and gas flaring is close to us and when it rains the polluted atmosphere will wash down like poison. People who have access to boreholes do not complain if rain water is black or blue.”
For now, no institution has been able to establish why there is black rainfall across Igboland and beyond.
