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(HERALD) Zim to take part in African meteorology meeting

Zim to take part in African meteorology meeting
Wednesday, 27 April 2011 22:39
Agriculture Reporter

ZIMBABWE will participate at the inaugural Bureau of African Ministers Conference on Meteorology meeting to be held in Kenya from 28-29 April.

The meeting is aimed at addressing issues of national disasters triggered by weather changes. In an interview before leaving for Kenya yesterday, World Meteorology Organisations Africa Region vice president, who is also the Zimbabwe Meteorological Services Department director, Dr Amos Makarau, said the meeting would focus on strategies to deal with natural disasters such as tropical cyclones, floods, droughts and tsunamis.

It would also deal with matters relating to the provision of early warning systems.
Dr Makarau said that Zimbabwe was appointed by Meteorological Services of Africa to assist other less developed countries vulnerable to disasters hence the need to assist and provide information on early warning services.

"Critical issues such as International Civil Aviation Organisation requirements will be on the agenda in terms of the progress made by African countries in implementation so that airplanes can land in the various countries.

"The International Civil Aviation Organisation stipulates that all meteorological services to the civil aviation should be ISO rated and certified by November 2012 in terms of safety management, training, surveillance systems, equipment, infrastructure and operational procedures," he explained.

Doctor Makarau also said terms of reference for the African continent would be defined at the meeting.

The African Ministers Conference on Meteorology was formed last year and held their first meeting in April 2010 in Arubi, Kenya. It was designed to assist the visibility of met services in their own countries given the strategic role the met department plays in socio economic development of countries especially in transport, aviation, agriculture, health, water, energy and environment.

The Bureau comprises five countries from African region and Zimbabwe as the second vice chair represents Sadc.

Meanwhile, Dr Makarau has also urged the government to speed up the licensing of radio stations to enable them to set up community radio stations in the country.
He said his department was waiting for the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe to give them the nod to open up community radio stations in identified areas.

Dr Makarau said they had identified three communities that include Mashonaland Central, the Midlands and Matabeleland South Provinces where they wanted to set up the local stations as pilot projects.

They will be operating in local languages to enhance met service delivery and plans are underway to open more stations countrywide.

He said the community radio stations' objective would be to disseminate information on developmental issues as well as weather patterns and other important met information.

Dr Makarau said the illegally imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe by some of their suppliers had not stalled the progress of setting up radio stations given the fact that they had managed to circumvent the impact of sanctions by engaging other partners.

"Negotiations are underway with other development partners on funding and procurement of equipment," he said.

Labels: METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT

posted by MrK @ 3:12 PM