From April 1 to 5, Mali and Burkina Faso experienced an exceptional heat wave, both in terms of its duration and its intensity, with temperatures above 45°C causing numerous deaths in these countries. According to a study published this Thursday, April 18 by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) network, this heat wave is linked to climate change. of human origin “.
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Scientists’ observations and comparisons of temperature models show that heat waves of the magnitude observed in March and April 2024 in the region would have been impossible » without global warming of 1.2°C, « of human origin », estimate scientists from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) network. THE report published this Thursday, April 18 specifies that an episode like the one which affected the Sahel for five days in April normally only occurs “ once every 200 years “.
Heat waves are common in the Sahel at this time of year, but the one that lasted from April 1 to 5 “ would have been 1.4°C cooler ” In the region ” if humans hadn’t caused global warming by burning fossil fuels », assure the authors of the report. “ These trends will continue with future warming », they add.
Scientists estimate that such a heat wave Mali and at Burkina Faso would be ” 1°C warmer in a 0.8°C warmer world ”, and would occur ten times more frequently than in the current climate if global warming reaches 2°C.
Increase in deaths
The duration and severity of this heat wave with temperatures above 45°C caused a increase in deaths and hospitalizations recorded in these countries, according to WWA, even if the Malian and Burkinabe populations “ are acclimated to high temperatures “. If he is ” impossible » to accurately count the victims due to the lack of data available in the countries concerned, “ it is likely that there were hundreds, if not thousands, more heat-related deaths », Indicates WWA.
“ From April 1 to 4, we saw an increase in service attendance », indicated on April 5 Professor Djibo Mahamane Diango, head of the anesthesia department at the Gabriel Touré hospital center in Bamako, the capital of Mali, during a press conference. According to this practitioner, the establishment had recorded during the first four days of April the arrival of 102 bodies, more than 50% of which were of an age “ over 60 years old », compared to 130 for the whole month of April of the previous year.
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“ Heat waves are among the deadliest natural disasters » and particularly affect the elderly and young children, recalls the WWA network in its report.
Ramadan and load shedding
The April heat in Mali, which peaked at 48.5°C, and in Burkina Faso coincided with the Ramadan fast and power cuts which limited the use of fans and air conditioners, and affected the functioning of health services. At the beginning of April, the national blood transfusion center in Bamako asked medical establishments to “ suspend any non-essential transfusion ” because of ” daily and prolonged load shedding beyond twelve hours ” per day.
Mali is experiencing power cuts due to the obsolescence of its power plants and the heavy debt burdening the national energy company. Since the 1970s, the Sahel countries have been faced with drought, as well as episodes of intense rain starting in the 1990s. The scarcity of water points and pastures, accentuated by the development of agricultural land, has disrupted the existence of pastoral populations and encouraged the emergence of armed groups who extended their control over vast swaths of the territory of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.