Posted on March, 12, 2019 at 10:22 am
THE Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA) has said plans were afoot to increase the number of weather forecasts radars to enhance efficiency and boost accurate weather reports in three regions across the country.
TMA director general, Dr Agnes Kijazi announced over the weekend in Dar es Salaam when speaking to weather stakeholders in the marine transport sector.
She said that the weather forecasts radars will be installed in Mtwara, Mbeya and Kigoma regions.
The official said until now the agency had installed two weather forecasts radars in Dar es Salaam and Mwanza regions.
She said: “This will help strengthen and provide quality services that will help with weather forecasts and various sectors, including the blue sectors of the economy such as oceans and great lakes like Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyasa.”
Dr Kijazi added that TMA was providing its services to users of the Indian Ocean including research on weather forecasts for fishermen, marine transporters and giving precautions on strong winds and rough sea waves to minimise effects that might occur.
Kizaji said natural disasters were unavoidable, but, she added, information was important to reach the targeted group before a disaster occurred.
"Such information helped the relevant users, disaster management institutions and the government to get prepared for the effects that could occur," she said.
Last week the East African Community (EAC) issued an alert to partner states about an increased risk for disease outbreaks due to above normal rainfalls.
In a statement it said that there will be an above normal rainfall is expected in the East African region over the next few months, a scenario that could expose the region to increased risks of disease outbreaks.
This forecast is based on the regional climate outlook for the March to May 2019 long rainfall season provided by the Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum held in Entebbe, Uganda.
James Kivuva, the Senior Meteorologist, who represented the East African Community Secretariat at Forum warned that the higher than normal rainfall would increase the risk for outbreaks of infectious diseases.
Kivuva urged EAC Partner States to be on the alert, inform the public, and put preparedness and mitigation measures in place while closely monitoring the rainfalls.
Between October and December 2018 parts of the region experienced a late start and early end of rains. However, above to near normal rainfalls were experienced in parts of Tanzania and in the Western parts of the region. Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda even reported flooding with landslides that impacted on some communities in the Eastern region where some lives were lost.
Source: IPP Media