Advanced weather information crucial for agriculture, aviation security: Ministry

  Advanced weather information crucial for agriculture, aviation security: Ministry

Addis Ababa, 26 September 2014 (WIC) – Water, Irrigation and Energy Minister Alemayehu Tegenu said that advanced weather information crucial for agriculture, aviation security.

Opening a two-day consultative meeting organized by the Ethiopian Meteorological Agency (EMA),  Alemayehu stressed the need to enhance climate information for sustaining agriculture and aviation security as well as to safely keep up with water development, tourism, industry, transport, construction and other sectors.

At a meeting which brought together stakeholders and people from different walks of life, the Minister commended the progress the agency has shown through time increasingly contributing to the nation's economic development.

Alemayehu added that the meeting is held every three month to enable the agency gather feedback from stakeholders with respect to its performance in the five year Growth and Transformation Plan so as to use it as an input for the second GTP.

According to Alemayehu, in tandem with the fast growing aviation industry, the agency is providing twenty four hour weather information service as well as early warning to prevent international flights from consequences of threatening weather conditions.

However, he says, much has to be done to advance weather reports so as to sustain the development of the aviation industry.

Director for Meteorological Forecast and Early Warning Directorate, Dr. Diriba Koricha also told The Ethiopian Herald that the performance of the agency in early warning system has significantly improved mainly due to the due emphasis the government gave to the agency and due to the modern satellite technologies that are enabling it share weather forecasts from international climate prediction centers.

Dr. Diriba said that regional directorates of the agency will be connected with the head office in Addis Ababa through technology network expected to pave way for the user to get access to weather information fast and easily from own locality using own language.

Asked about last summer season rainfall condition, Dr. Diriba said that northern and central parts of Ethiopia which include, Tigray, Amhara, Benshangul Gumuz, and western parts of Oromia have received the highest rainfall on the annual scale.

He added that Central parts of Oromia as well as northern areas of SNNP State have received better rainfall. However, Eastern Shoa, Hararge and Arsi zones got somewhat low rainfall in the beginning of the rainy season which would have caused impact on crops had it not received high rainfall in the middle of last 'Keremt' season. (EH)