KSNDMC to assist Ethiopia on weather monitoring

Karnataka's agro-meteorological technology to provide real-time weather updates, which is beneficial especially for farmers, is all set to make a mark in far away Africa.

Representatives from Ethiopia who visited the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) are keen on a collaboration for 'knowledge sharing' and 'technical assistance'. This is expected to be the first international collaboration for the KSNDMC, which already provides assistance on local weather monitoring to states such as Bihar and Maharashtra.

Speaking to DH, KSNDMC director G S Srinivasa Reddy said a delegation of representatives from the agriculture and disaster management departments of Ethiopia had sought assistance in replicating the state's weather monitoring set up in the east African nation.

"They were primarily interested in two aspects: the disaster monitoring system and how the system was implemented to improve agriculture," Reddy said.

The factor that drew the Ethiopian delegation to KSNDMC was that Karnataka is a leader in the implementation of such a system in the country, Reddy said. Having associated with Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), officials from the country approached KSNDMC via the Center to assess one of the largest networks of weather monitoring devices in the region.

"The delegation was keen on knowledge sharing and seeking technical assistance. They will approach us via ADPC for any assistance and this will be the first international collaboration for our Center," Reddy said.

C N Prabhu, senior scientific officer, KSNDMC, said that sector-wise disaster mitigation, and managing and monitoring drought were among the key issues discussed with the delegation. "Representatives from Ethiopia were pleased to learn the manner in which technology was implemented at the grassroots for the purpose," he said.

It can be recalled that KSNDMC has been offering assistance on meteorology and affiliated topics for several states in the country. While Bihar has already signed an MoU with the state for assistance as it attempts to replicate a similar weather monitoring network, officials from Maharashtra - including a cabinet minister - will arrive on February 13 for the same purpose.