SORSOGON CITY – A team from DOST-Pagasa organized a workshop in
partnership with the Provincial Government of Sorsogon through the Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Council and its Secretariat on the use of Automatic
Weather Station (AWS) data for disaster preparedness, just recently.
In attendance was personnel of Sorsogon Provincial Disaster Risk
Management Office (SPDRMO), along with some Sangguniang Panlalawigan members
Rebecca “Becky” Aquino and Benito “Boytee” Doma, as well as officials and
representatives from the Governor’s Office, SAR, Pagasa-Bicol, DOST-Sorsogon,
Juban Synoptic Station, Philippine Army, PNP, PCG, BFP, PRC, PAO, PPDO, PHO,
PBO, Provincial President of the League of Barangays, DepEd, DENR, DILG, DOH,
DTI, NIA, GVDP, FACE/Childfund, PIA, the media and C/MDRMOs of the
municipalities of Bulan, Bulusan, Casiguran, Donsol, Irosin, Magallanes, Prieto
Diaz and Sorsogon City.
At the onset of the exercise, past disaster scenarios in the country
were drawn out as the result of extreme Climate Change events which led to the development
of the hybrid weather monitoring system and production of weather and rain automated
stations under the Philippines’ DOST-ASTI-Pagasa. It underscored the rejoinder
made by the National Government to address the inescapable calamities by
advocating various correlated programmes by way of preparedness in the aspect
of observing the weather parameters.
Foremost objectives of the current undertaking according to Pagasa
are: to produce AWS and 100 automated rain monitoring stations using local
technology resources and deploy AWS and rain monitoring system in key areas
across the country to complement Pagasa’s weather forecasting facilities with
the following project components: network of AWS and automated rain stations; the
system network communication, and Information Education Campaign (IEC).
As disclosed by Pagasa, the length of the project covers two years
(October 2010 to September 2011 and September 2011 to December 2012) with a
total cost of P29, 877, 525.47 (ASTI – P26, 067.600.47; Pagasa – P3, 809.600.00).
The task points out that 1softening the impact of natural hazards is a
function of the community’s sensitivity and resilience; 2disasters do
not recognize political or geographic boundaries, and 3national as well
as community-based disaster risk management protocols must be in place.
On the whole, Pagasa presented their mandate which is to provide
protection against calamities and utilize scientific knowledge as an effective
instrument to insure the safety, well-being, and economic security of all the
people, and for the promotion of national progress; the weather hazards (thunderstorms,
cold fronts, monsoons, intertropical convergence zone, tropical cyclones) and
comparative results particularly in Bicol Region; existing related methodological
schemes which consist of supplementing advisory stations that undertake
activities relative to observation, collection, assessment and processing of
atmospheric and allied data for the benefit of agriculture, commerce and
industry; chronological information of storm entry by the year, as well as the
local names given for each; calendar of hazards provided by Pagasa for
reference.
Also presented were typhoon classification and related warning
signals/precautionary measures; weather systems/climate variability
highlighting on consequences made happen by the El Niño and La Niña phenomenon;
causes of floods (e.g. storm surges, heavy rainfall), the country’s vulnerability
and the corresponding warning system and preparedness procedures; and the operational/basic
maintenance guidelines on AWS and Automatic Rain Gauge (ARG) which determines
the basic rain threshold value for each province.
The Synoptic Station in Juban, Sorsogon which was one of the initiatives
of former governor Sally Ante Lee is Pagasa’s 59th observation station (6 in
Region V) that observes the weather outlook every three hours and provides indicators
for Metro Manila to generate an overall forecast and deliver an unrestricted
data to the rest of the world.
It was stressed as well in the course of the workshop that the
Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is
a warning agency and its delivery of information comes from the Office of Civil
Defense (OCD).
The team likewise provided visualization and practical operation of
the AWS, predominantly on its data interpretation and accessibility to Project NOAH
on the web and the interrelated significance of Predict (http://202.90.128.12/predict/),
or the Philippine Real-Time Environment Data Acquisition and Interpretation for
Climate-Related Tragedy Prevention and Mitigation, which is a nationwide system
meant to complement the existing observation capability of Pagasa. The system
consists of a network of automated weather stations that gather and transmit
observation data to a central server through the cellular network.
Each observation station is a rugged device equipped with sensors
for the various required parameters such as temperature, pressure, humidity,
wind direction, wind speed, and rainfall. It is also equipped with a GSM/GPRS
modem to transmit data to the central server. Predict includes the design and production of
the AWS units, development of the server software, and deployment in the
selected sites. The environmental parameters that will be acquired and stored
by the units will be used for weather forecasting and real-time environmental
monitoring. These data will be used for agricultural applications, disaster
mitigation, and for general research.
Designed by the Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI), an
AWS was installed last year by Pagasa for the Local Government Unit of
Barcelona and lately, an ARG for Donsol, Sorsogon.
To comeback back with the entreaties which surfaced from these two
accomplishments, Engineer Raden D. Dimaano announced SPDRMO’s pending proposal with
the United Nations World Food Programme to support the succeeding project installations
for a selection of areas in the province.
Among UNWFP’s biggest involvements last year was through its USAID/OFDA-funded
Disaster Preparedness and Response (DPR) activities. Under the 1st
phase project, it has supported LGU Juban’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management
(DRRM) Operations Center which now serves as a hub for systematic coordination,
integration and response actions of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Council (MDRRMC) members. The project furthermore increased the
competence of the Municipal Disaster Risk Management Offices (MDRMOs), like
what took on in LGU Irosin wherein Capacity Buildings were reached out through a
Training of Trainers (TOTs). This exercise produced a pool of trainers who were
merely community volunteers. They were assisted by the Philippine Business for
Social Progress (PBSP) who conducted the Community-Based Disaster Risk Management
Trainings (CBDRMTs), after which a series of roll-outs were carried out down to
the barangay level.
The 2nd phase of the UNWFP project which has an overall purpose of
contributing to the reduction of mortality, protection of lives and livelihood
and reducing the impact of natural disasters on the socio-economic wellbeing of
vulnerable communities has a timeline marked for 18 months and officially started
last April, 2012.
During a brief visit last September 2011 at the Chief Executive’s
Office to discuss UNWFP’s continuing support to the Province of Sorsogon, Consultant
Joan Fluren, Programme Officer Abraham Abatneh and Field Monitor Ruby Sinen
discussed with Sorsogon Governor Raul R. Lee the possible expansion and
enhancement, as well as how UNWFP can complement these activities.
Dimaano meanwhile considered Pagasa’s IEC imperative for putting things
in place to know the nitty-gritties required by DOST-Pagasa-ASTI. Reciprocating
with this, a joint collaboration with ASTI and Pagasa was recommended by the
workshop facilitators. The latter endorses the sight location, while the former
which is the manufacturing arm of the DOST approves the right equipment. The
project bid must also be harmonized with the department’s Regional Office. A licence
agreement is necessary to purchase the AWS and earlier, a quotation was already
sent to the SPDRMO enclosing the quantity, item description, and the unit/total
cost of the package inclusions which consist of a training session in ASTI on
handling, installation and maintenance; six months consultancy service for its
effective deployment; and the communication SIM to be provided.
NOAH (noah.dost.gov.ph) on the other hand has a mission to undertake
disaster science research/development and advance the use of cutting edge
technologies and recommend innovative information services in government's
disaster prevention and mitigation efforts. Though the use of science and
technology and in partnership with the academe and other stakeholders, the DOST
through Program NOAH is taking a multi-disciplinary approach in developing
systems, tools, and other technologies that could be operationalized by the government
to help prevent and mitigate disasters.
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| Photo by: Von Labalan, spdrmo.PIA Sorsogon |
The project’s immediate task is to integrate current disaster
science research and development projects and initiate new efforts within the
DOST to achieve this objective. Presently there are eight component projects
under the NOAH programme, namely: Hydromet Sensors Development; DREAM-LIDAR 3-D
Mapping Project; Flood NET-Flood Modelling Project; Hazards Information Media; Enhancing
Geo-hazards mapping through LIDAR; Doppler System Development; Landslide Sensors
Development Project; and Storm Surge Inundation Mapping Project.
The current NOAH Programme team is composed of the scientist-leaders
of these projects. The country's warning agencies: Pagasa and Phivolcs are also
represented.
Within two years, NOAH shall provide high-resolution flood hazard
maps and install 600 automated rain gauges and 400 water level measuring
stations for 18 major river basins of the Philippines, particularly the Bicol
River Basin. (Von Andre E. Labalan, SPDRMO/PIA Sorsogon)
