The National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology, NCHM, will soon construct a new centre with enhanced facilities to improve weather and climate forecasting services in the country. According to the NCHM, this initiative is following a World Meteorology Organisation’s assessment, which highlighted low quality in the current weather and climate forecasting services.
The plans to construct a new centre were revealed during the launch of the Climate Change Projection Report 2024 on Monday.
The need for a better facility to support the NCHM’s operations was also identified in the Hydro-Met Policy, which was implemented last year.
The new centre will be constructed on a five-acre site at Yusipang in Thimphu. According to the NCHM officials, the international standard centre will serve as its headquarters.
The current centre lacks specialised laboratories, equipment, and trained technical personnel, which hampers the NCHM’s ability to provide timely and accurate warnings and forecasts.
NCHM currently operates from a limited space inside the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources campus.
Chimi Namgyel, Senior Statistical Officer of the Hydrology and Water Resources Division said “the new centre will be equipped with laboratories for hydro-met equipment calibration, and water quality and sedimentation analysis. It will also be equipped with standard offices for weather and flood forecasting services. With this improved system, we will be able to provide qualitative hydro-meteorological information.”
He added that the new centre will be able to accommodate visitors from colleges, schools, and research institutes.
The new centre will be constructed during the first five-year phase, while the second five-year phase will involve system and service enhancement.
The project including construction and system and service enhancement will cost almost Nu 3bn, which will begin once the design works are complete.
Currently, there are more than 200 weather and hydrological stations and three control rooms in the country.
Namgay Dema
Edited by Sherub Dorji
