Master Plan Establishment and Capacity Building for the Modernization and Advancement of Hydro-meteorological Infrastructure at Mekong River Basin in Lao PDR

Weather phenomena affect all different areas of human activity. The use of climate and weather information towards everyday life not only protects life and reduce property losses but also contributes towards all aspects of life by reducing vulnerability to such environmental conditions. The initiation of disaster prevention is to mitigate damage through preparation. This can be achieved by producing precise weather information and delivering it to all citizens promptly through a variety of ways. Lao PDR makes up the vast majority of the lower Mekong basin, and its economic activities as well as lives of people are mostly affected by the Mekong River. The river provides abundant resources for prosperous life of people, but it does not provide a permanent prosperity as it causes natural disasters that result in many people suffering damage to their property and overall lifestyle.Especially, the overexposure to climate and disaster risks is the main reason that disproportionately affects the poor of Lao PDR. Floods, storms, and droughts are the most prevalent hazards of them all, and according to the World Bank report, these hazards are expected to become more severe in the upcoming years under the influence of climate change. A preliminary financial risk assessment estimated annual losses of GDP (0.7 percent) for Lao PDR that result from these natural disasters. In detail, flood disasters can put Lao PDR into facing annual emergency costs of nearly US$10 million. To put that into a longer timeframe, these costs could surpass US$36 million once every decade with a 10 percent annual probability.   The poor have been suffering the brunt of the consequences in the aftermath of disasters, due to their overexposure, higher vulnerability and reduced ability to recover. Disasters impoverish the poor and entrap them in the poverty cycle.With this situation, enhancing capacity on Disaster Risk Management (DRM) of Lao PDR is essential. The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DMH) of Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) is responsible for providing early warning alerts as well as overall hydrological and meteorological services. However, DMH is highly limited with an annual budget of only US$ 300,000, restricted number of staffs on board (245), and a limited observation network as compared to its land size. While DMH provides a general level of meteorological and hydrological services to its country, a technological gap exists between Lao PDR and other Southeast Asian countries, especially core capacities and forecasting levels. In addition, several issues are present in data quality assurance, maintenance upgrades, and the demand for improved services and products. Therefore, the overall modernization and advancement in national hydro-meteorological services of Lao PDR is absolutely vital for the protection of people, the environment, and assets. Improving the meteorological and hydrological services will provide better means to monitor and predict the atmospheric activities occurring in the lower Mekong area. Some upgrades for an effective DRM includes but not limited to: observation networks, capacity building, real-time data collection, and dissemination of reliable forecasts, and weather information to different end users. Ultimately, this project will help mitigate natural disaster damages, improve economic activity in the lower Mekong river basin and contribute towards improving the quality of life of residents living near the lower Mekong River as they will see the most benefits.The project mainly consists of two (2) activities; 1) Establishment of Master Plan for DMH and 2) Capacity building (Invitational training programs) for DMH. After completion of the project, 1) the Master Plan including Action Plan will be established for DMH and 2) Two (2) times invitational training programs in Korea will be successfully conducted and total sixteen (16) officials from DMH will complete the courses. Read more...