June 05, Colombo (LNW): The government has decided to obtain technical assistance from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to improve forecasts and early warnings of severe weather, floods, and landslides, Cabinet Spokesman and Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardhana announced.
Speaking at the weekly Cabinet media briefing held yesterday at the Government Information Department, Dr. Gunawardhana outlined the Climate Resilience Multi-Phase Programmatic Approach. Funded by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank, this initiative is planned to be implemented over nine years in three phases.
The first component of the five-part program aims to enhance the skills, technology, and infrastructure of relevant institutions to enable accurate forecasting and pre-assessment of weather conditions. This improvement is expected to allow for the quick and accurate prediction of high-risk weather and climate conditions, potentially reducing the $313 million annually spent by the government on post-disaster management.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Irrigation Minister to engage the WMO, an international organization with extensive experience in meteorology and hydrology, to enhance the country’s emergency warning systems.
