Pakistan's Ministry of Climate Change and UNDP building a resilient Pakistan through early warning systems

Islamabad, 14 February 2023— Pakistan's Ministry of Climate Change and UNDP have held a four-day training for government officials and technical teams on assembling, installing, commissioning, and operating Early Warning Systems (EWS). The training supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), is aligned with the Government of Pakistan and UNDP’s mandate to mainstream environmental concerns into national and sub-national development planning processes.

 

Early Warning Systems will be installed in the 24 most climate-vulnerable valleys of Gilgit Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This initiative, by the UNDP-supported GCF-funded project 'Scaling Up of Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Risk Reduction in Northern Pakistan' (also known as 'GLOF-II'), is an important step towards climate adaptation and in building the resilience of communities. For any future climate-induced disasters such as glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), these systems will provide timely warning for safe evacuation.

 

The training was executed by CAE S.p.A, an Italian firm that specializes in Early Warning Systems. Participants included officials from the Pakistan Meteorological Department, Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (DMAs), and District Administrations from GB and KP governments; capacitating participants on the operations, architecture, configuration, commissioning, and installation of the systems in the challenging mountainous terrains in the north of Pakistan where the GLOF-II project is working.

 

Participants were given training in EWS components which comprise of advanced Automatic Weather Stations (AWS), rain gauges, snow depth sensors, water depth gauges, water discharge gauges, data loggers and warning posts. These highly sensitive gauges and sensors will generate data to prompt the relevant authorities for timely preparation and response to climate disasters such as GLOFs.

 

The Ministry of Climate Change and UNDP’s GLOF-II Project is working with relevant provincial authorities and administration on the construction of base platforms in the project valleys. Installation is expected to commence in mid-March 2023 and will continue until September 2023.

 

Operating in 16 valleys of Gilgit Baltistan and eight valleys in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the GLOF-II project aims to empower communities to identify and manage risks associated with GLOFs and related impacts of climate change, strengthen public services to lower the risk of disasters related to GLOF, and improve community preparedness and disaster response. The project also supports the development of sustainable options for livelihoods in project areas, with a particular focus on the participation of women in ensuring food security and livelihoods.