WMO to provide assistance for receiving data on disaster

Global Telecommunication System (GTS) of 13 Indian Ocean countries, including Bangladesh, will be upgraded so that they can receive data and timely cautions during any natural disaster like tsunami and earthquake, reports BDNWEWS.

The UN Meteorological agency World Meteorological Organisation is holding an expert meeting in Geneva to finalise the plan for upgrading the communications in some vulnerable countries where five minutes can make difference between life and mass deaths.

"The improvements are crucial for the Early Warning System (EWS), enabling national meteorological services in countries, and their governments, to exchange observations, bulletins and warnings in a timely and efficient fashion," said a statement of the meeting.

The WMO said these nations need vital equipment and appropriate links to GTS telecommunications hubs so that they can receive crucial data and issue timely warnings to their authorities.

A total of $1.0 million assistance is required for rapid implementation for improving the countries capabilities, the WMO said.

When Contacted, Arjumand Habib, Deputy Director of Bangladesh Meteorological Department, said a team of WMO experts visited Bangladesh in July who assessed the needs and requirements of the department so that it can be incorporated with the EWS.

"The team assessed the shortcomings of our GTS to integrate with EWS," she said adding, "The WMO will finalise the required level of assistance for us in a meeting expected to be held in November."

The other countries identified by the WMO that require assistance are: Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, the Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Seychelles, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Yemen.

The remaining Indian Ocean countries already possess up-to-date GTS capabilities, the WMO observed.

"A nation's ability to communicate information in a timely manner is critical to the success of all EWS," WMO Secretary General Michel Jarraud said.

The UN-backed Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System is expected to be fully operational by next July.

This involves quake and tidal sensors, speedy communications, alarm networks from radio to cell phones, and disaster preparedness training in vulnerable regions.

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