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RISK ANALYSIS AND EARLY ACTION SELECTION
Prioritized hazard and its historical impact
Over the past few decades, Burkina Faso has faced a series of "extreme" weather events of unprecedented magnitude and speed. Among these hazards, we can mention:
- The severe droughts of 1973-74 and 1983-84 which greatly affected the ecosystems and the production systems of vulnerable communities;
- There are also dust storms that are frequent. Located near the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, Burkina Faso is regularly crossed by large loads of dust and sand. These dust storms reduce visibility, damage crops and infrastructure, and can have adverse effects on people's health;
- In addition to these hazards, heat waves are a growing threat in a warming climate. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, is one of the hottest cities in the world. The annual temperature cycle shows that the monthly (maximum) daytime temperature is always above 30°C while the nighttime (minimum) temperature is continuously above 15°C (Figure 1). The period from March to May is the hottest season in the city, with temperatures regularly exceeding 40°C, especially in April.
It is therefore understood that periods during which the temperature significantly exceeds these averages lead to unbearable levels of discomfort and negative impacts on the three million inhabitants of the city. To account for the IFRC's requirements for the magnitude of events, heat waves are defined here, according to Tassembedo 2023, as three or more consecutive days during which the temperature exceeds the 90th percentile of the distribution of the hottest month of the year. This corresponds to 42.4°C for the daytime temperature and 30.3°C for the nighttime temperature. Applying this definition to the data of the National Meteorological Agency (ANAM), we obtain the characteristics presented in below table