Pakistan and France have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further strengthen and deepen bilateral scientific cooperation in the field of meteorology.
The MoU was signed by Ambassador of Pakistan to France Mr. Moin ul Haque and Mr. Jean-Marc Lacave, Chief Executive Officer of Meteo France.
The signing ceremony held in Paris today was witnessed by Mr. Patrick Benichou, President Meteo France, Mr. Bernard Strauss, Director International Relation Meteo France and Mr. Andre de Bussy, Head of Cooperation and Cultural Affairs, Embassy of France in Pakistan.
Projects worth Rs. 19 billion aim to incorporate the latest technologies for its operations all over Pakistan.
The prospects of MET department are looking bright with the Director General PMD, Dr. Ghulam Rasool looking to keep up with the latest technological trends which are being followed all over the world.
The Projects
PMD has embarked on a journey to revolutionize the meteorological sector through various projects. These projects are also being associated with the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
According to Dr. Ghulam Rasool, the projects include:
- Heavy Rainfall Prediction with Better Accuracy – PMD was lacking state-of-the-art technology for measuring and predicting heavy rainfall. The all-new system will be able to predict heavy rains with a greater accuracy thereby helping the aviation sector too.
- Wind Profilers for Airports – PMD is going to use sophisticated wind profilers for all big airports of Pakistan for better wind speed and direction measurement, which would also support the aviation system manifold.
- High Mountain Automatic Weather Systems – These latest weather systems or weather stations help monitor the weather of remote areas and high mountains where it becomes difficult to monitor the conditions through traditional meteorological instruments.
- Drought Prediction Systems – A Drought Prediction tool is a very handy asset particularly for a country like Pakistan where timely rescue services are not that common. Using models and tools for predicting droughts can save many lives.
- Flood Forecasting Systems – Floods are common in Pakistan where water storage isn’t paid much attention. A flood forecasting system helps forecast such disasters based on rainfall and river water level data.
- Heat Wave Monitoring Systems – Pakistanis suffer at the hands of heat waves almost every year and it was high time for authorities to implement proper heat wave monitoring systems throughout the country.
The MoU envisages jointly designing and implementation of a special project to develop Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD)’s sectoral meteorological and climate services including the Early Warning System. Under this project, cooperation in the areas of applications of the science of meteorology to socio-economic development, with special focus on wind and solar power potential assessment including establishment of a National Climate Center would also be covered.
Mr. Moin ul Haque, on the occasion said that both the countries will also benefit from each other’s expertise through sharing of information, exchange of scientific and technical personnels and through knowledge transfer, joint studies and research of subjects of mutual interest.
