Japan to help Pagasa in equipment upgrade

The Japanese government will assist the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) in upgrading rainfall gauges to improve the agency’s flood forecasting system early next year.

Rosalie Pagulayan, Pagasa’s weather specialist, said the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has sent its five-man study team in the country to conduct preliminary assessment of Pagasa’s flood forecasting system.

Pagulayan said that as soon as the team’s report is finished, JICA will start the propagation test of equipment in March 2007. The two priority provinces are Pampanga and Pangasinan.

Kenzo Iwakami, JICA deputy resident representative, earlier said JICA will assist Pagasa as soon as the Japanese government approves the grant.

Pagulayan said a rainfall gauge usually costs millions of pesos but she refused to disclose the total project cost.

Under the JICA project, some parts of the existing rainfall gauges would be replaced while additional water level gauging stations would be set up.

Citing the recent landslide in St. Bernard in Southern Leyte, Pagulayan said one station cannot monitor all river basins in a wide area. The setting up of more cell sites in the country also affect data transmission of water level gauging stations from the regions to the central office in Quezon City.

"Hopefully by 2009 the project will be fully implemented," Pagulayan said.

So far, there were 58 to 60 synoptic stations nationwide today that monitor clouds visibility, wind direction and pressure.

Meanwhile, Pagasa will also get an additional budget of P200 million under the Senate version of the 2007 budget for the acquisition of two Doppler radars.

The Doppler radar is capable of generating short-term but highly accurate weather forecasts. — Helen Flores