Empirical study on rainfall patterns and construction programme provisions in Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

Weather conditions affect the duration and cost of construction activities, while many companies have neglected the need to consider the exact empirical effect it has on the delivery of construction projects. This prompted an investigation on the precipitation patterns in Jos Metropolis of Plateau State, Nigeria and its effects on the delivery of construction projects. The study evaluated the amount and frequency of yearly precipitation in Jos, and compared it with the provisions made by Builders and Construction Managers in preparing construction programmes and determined its effect on the construction projects delivery. A Mixed design approach was adopted with Rainfall data collected from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency for over a 10 year period as well as from structured questionnaires. The Data was analysed using mean and percentages. The study concluded that the provisions made for idle or rain days in preparation of work programmes for construction projects were in most cases inaccurate and thus affected the performance of the construction projects. The study suggests measures to be adopted by stakeholders towards better project outcome.