Government to Install Water Disasters Warning Systems

The government of Nepal is to install water disasters warning systems in the country, as the country braces for an onset of monsoon, reports The Kathmandu Post.

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DoHM) reports that 70 Automatic Water Level Sensors (AWLS) and 88 Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) will be installed in different places all over the country within this year.

Rishi Ram Sharma, director general at the DoHM said, “With these new installations, our capacity of predictions will improve. We will be capable and highly accurate with our predictions and our coverage area will also expand.”

He added, “Early warning systems not only warn local communities but also provide detail information about rivers like when it is flooded and what is the maximum water level over a long period. This information will aid the department in designing plans to reduce disaster risk.”

Nepal currently has 30 AWLS and nearly 100 AWS throughout the country.

AWLS have already been installed in major rivers like Kankai, Bagmati, Narayani, Eastern Rapti, Western Rapti, Babai, Karnali, and Seti. Two systems have also been set up to observe the glacial lakes, Tso Rolpa in Dolakha and Imja in Solukhumbu.

AWLS is used to measure the water flow in rivers and predicts threats of floods for nearby communities. Radars installed in river measures water level flowing in the river and sends pulses every second. Traveling time between sending and receiving of pulses decides the water level.  AWLS also records data about patterns and behaviors of rivers.

AWS is an automated version of the traditional weather station, either to save human labor or to enable measurements from the remote areas. It has instruments and equipment for measuring atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate.