$50m earmarked for weather projections

By John Agaba

ENVIRONMENT minister Ephraim Kamuntu has  explained that the impact of weather extremes could no longer be ignored, calling for improved accuracy in weather projections.

In a rather fervent manner, the minister expressed that the lack of modern metrological equipment and an early warning system for accurate weather projections and dissemination was slowing the country into keeping prone to disasters from extreme weather eventualities.

Uganda has had its fair share of extreme weather tragedies, with a number of landslides and floods burring and displacing many almost every when the rainy season peaks.

The worst case was the 2011 Bududa landslides.

“We need accurate weather information to transform our country. We can’t keep relying on natural dynamics, at the mercy of natural elements, if we are to move from a peasant to a middle-income economy — in line with our Vision 2040,” Minister Ephraim Kamuntu said on Tuesday morning while officiating at the UNDP-powered CIRDA workshop at the Kampala Golf Course Hotel.

The workshop with delegates from the 11 African countries and other climate change experts and stakeholders ends Thursday.

He said: “We need to use science, apply the available technologies as much as possible to have accurate early warning signs that can be disseminated to all Ugandans.

“Farmers are losing a lot of produce and money because of unpredicted droughts and floods. The Government is still losing a lot of money to resettle people who are displaced by landslides in Bududa.”

At the workshop, intended to forge a way forward for sustainable climate change adaptation in 11 least developed African countries, the emphasis was put on finding tangible solutions to these weather tragedies that keep “numbing Africa back.”

Bonizella Biagini, the CIRDA programme manager, said they have received $50m for implementing the project in the selected 11 least developed African countries.

Uganda, which makes the cut (part of the 11 least developed) will benefit about $4m.

“The grant is for the UNDP climate information for resilient development and adaptation to climate change in Africa,” explained Biagini.

“It is estimated that investments in the metrology sector from GEF and GIZ and other development partners will augment their input to increase the capacity of metrology and hydrological equipment from the current estimated 20% to the minimum threshold (of about 85% as recommended by WMO) required for capturing accurate weather and climate data and information,” Almaz Gebru, the UNDP-Uganda country director, said.

Pascal Okello, the project manager for strengthening early climate information and early warning systems in Uganda, said they are constructing 16 automatic water level stations across the country and repairing an additional 40 manual water level stations to improve accuracy in weather projections.

They are also constructing 25 automatic weather stations and repairing 32 manual weather stations.

“The coming three months it will be raining. We need scientists to tell us accurate information. When they say ‘the rains will be near normal’, what do they mean?”  Kamuntu said.

“By providing accurate weather projections and early warning signs we can save a life,” he said.

Minister for disaster preparedness, Hilary Onek, called on the private and the public sector to positively influence the environment by not “clearing hilltops and forests and not settling in swamps.”

“We have a duty to do. 40% of the rainfall we receive is influenced by human activities, the bigger 60% by movements on the ocean. Let us influence the 40% positively,” said the minister.