Gov’t moots plan to setup meteorological centres

South Sudan plans to set up meteorology centres to minimize the continued climate change.

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry said the meteorology centres will provide necessary information regarding climate change and its effects on the people.

Addressing the media during the ceremony for signing $10 million contract for setting up the South Sudan National Early Warning System, Joseph Africano, Undersecretary in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, said South Sudan will soon set up weather forecast centres.

“We are trying to establish some meteorological (mete) centres like in schools where people can now collect data,” Africano said.

He added that the country has been missing such important centres meant to provide the people with necessary information regarding climate that can help farmers and other citizens’ plan ahead.

“When you see on the map, we do not have those meteorological centers here in the country,” he added.

However, Africano lamented the available meteorological equipment in the country has been redundant, and most of it has not been installed to perform its duties of informing the citizens.

“We have some equipment here; there were like 14 pieces of hydro mete equipment that came to the country a long time ago, but because of the conflict, only four were installed, and we still have 10 in the stores of the Ministry of Water Resources,” he said.

Meteorological centres are providing weather forecasting, climate prediction, climate change study, information collection, and dissemination centres.

The meteorological centers would be responsible for the distribution of information, advisories, and warnings regarding weather changes and their effects on the country.