PAGASA eyes installation of 22 Doppler radars

MANILA, Philippines —  Twenty-two Doppler radars capable of providing faster and more precise weather information are being eyed for installation by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

PAGASA currently has 18 operational radars, with two more set to be established in Pangasinan and Bataan.

PAGASA administrator Nathaniel Servando said the weather bureau plans to install two more in Ilocos region and Palawan.

This week, the Department of Science and Technology and  PAGASA broke ground for the installation of a new Doppler radar at the Bataan Peninsula State University in Abucay town.

“In our plan, we need 22 more radars not only because they cover the whole country, but because they have a redundancy system,” Servando said. “We need overlapping radars so that when one shuts down, monitoring can continue.”

The Bataan radar can track the location and movement of weather systems in Central Luzon, Metro Manila and Southern Tagalog.

“It is strategically located since we are affected by weather systems like the southwest monsoon, which dumps heavy rains over the western part of the country,” Servando said.

The weather equipment will be activated in two years. Once it becomes operational, the Subic radar will be decommissioned since it has served beyond its lifespan.

The P250-million Bataan facility is equipped with a state-of-the-art technology and the weather information it will produce will be made available on PAGASA’s weather app, the PAGASA National Hydro-Met Observing Network or PANaHON.

Science Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said Doppler radars help local chief executives make decisions faster.

Aside from Doppler radars, PAGASA has deployed 11 X-Band radars, which provide localized weather forecasting for agricultural purposes, Solidum said.