Making Accurate Forecasting
After the installation of Chinese meteorological equipment, Nepal will be in a position to predict correct weather reports
By KESHAB POUDEL
For the people living along the Rapti and Babai rivers of Banke and Bardia districts who have been facing annual floods, launching of a new program by Practical Action-Nepal to reduce the flood is good news.
Along with building embankments, bridges and other communities work, Practical Action is also installing early warning system and flood watch tower to give pre-information about the possible floods. In many cases, the damages and loss of human life and property is avoidable by introducing the early warning system.
As Practical Action is launching its program under Climate Change Adaptation in the villages, enhanced capacity of Department of Hydrology and Meteorology to predict the weather pattern in Nepal will help avert the severe consequences of disasters.
Although Nepal is prone to monsoon flood and landslides, the country does not have national level early warning system and weather forecasting. Since Nepal’s weather forecasting system is more than decades old.
Thanks to the technical support and equipment provided by China, Nepal is now in a position to forecast the weather every hour. After installation of these equipment, Nepal will be in a position to observe weather pattern including cloud formation and changes.
Under Climate Change Adaptation in the villages, the Practical Action-Nepal is spending its resources to build early warning system in the watershed areas of Rapti and Babai rivers including developing the flood watch towers.
In the first phase in Kabilas village of Chitwan, Practical Action also launched the programs to build the capacity of early warning system. “If the local communities are given accurate information regarding the weather pattern, it will reduce the damages,” said Upendra Man Shrestha, fundraising and communication officer of Practical action Nepal.
In the last few years, the frequencies of the flash floods, torrential rainfalls have continued to increase. As Nepal is also facing some of the effects of global warming, only option to avoid the disaster will be to develop early warning system.
”As Chinese satellite is hovering just over Nepal, we will have accurate data bout the weather pattern and cloud formation. We will also receive a good quality of picture so that our forecasting will be accurate,” said Dr. Madan Lal Shrestha, director general of Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. “If we will develop better coordination with disaster management division, we can avoid many disasters and save human life.”
China has handed over a set of satellite data receiving and processing system to Nepal to help forecast weather more accurately and reduce casualties from natural disasters.
The equipment was donated by the Chinese Meteorological Administration to the Nepali government.
The Chinese Meteorological Administration had agreed to donate a set of China FY-2D data receiving and processing system to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology of the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology.
"We hope that the China FY-2D data receiving and processing system will help develop the weather forecasting and anti-disaster abilities of Nepal so as to reduce the losses in lives and property damages caused by natural disasters," said Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Zheng Xianglin.
The Director-General of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Madan
Lal Shrestha, said the system would help Nepal forecast weather more accurately. "We hope that such type of technical support would help us strengthen our technical hand in this field," he added.
