Involvement of Department of Meteorology and Hydrology in AIRBM - An interview with Dr. Lai Lai Aung
The Ayeyarwady Integrated River Basin Management (AIRBM) project has started in September 2015, with aid from World Bank ($100 million). It supports Myanmar to develop the institutions and tools for water resource management and implementation of integrated river basin management in the Ayeyarwady Basin. The program includes three components:
1. Water Resource Management Institutions, Decision Support Systems and Capacity Building
2. Hydro-meteorological Observation and Information Systems Modernization
3. Navigation Enhancement on the Ayeyarwady River
The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH) is involved in component 2. That part of the program is focused on improvement of the meteorological and hydrological equipment to get better hydrological information. In another words, it is to raise the capacity of information and services for disaster reduction, water transport, water resources management, agriculture and other areas.
We interviewed Dr. Lai Lai Aung, deputy director of department of meteorology and hydrology and director of component 2. She was happy to share with us more about the challenges and the different stakeholders involved in the AIRBM program.
AIRBM Component 2
Myanmar Climate Data Portal
A big result of the program so far is the development of Myanmar Climate Data Portal, funded by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC). The tool provides climate data online by using the web portal for accessing observed meteorological data and future climate scenarios developed for the country. Business partners, government, non-governmental and intergovernmental organization can attain climate data such as temperature, rainfall, wind direction and wind speed by registering on the website. You can find out the Myanmar Climate Data Portal via this link.
