Africa-Press – Mauritius. I would like to urge all of us to recognise the significance of producing accurate forecasts for the upcoming rainfall season. It is not only a technical task but the moral imperative of protecting lives, safeguarding our environment, ensuring food security, and promoting regional cooperation.
The Vice-Prime Minister (VPM), Minister of Local Government and Disaster Risk Management, Dr Mohammad Anwar Husnoo, made this statement, today, during the opening ceremony of the Climate User Forum of the 27th Southern African Regional Climate Outlook Forum (SARCOF-27), at the Ocean’s Creek Hotel in Balaclava. The Climate User Forum is being held from 26 to 28 September 2023.
The Permanent Representative of Angola with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and Representative of the Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Dr Jao Afonso; the Director of Infrastructure and Representative of the Executive Secretary of the SADC Secretariat, Ms Mapolao Mokoena; the Acting Director of the Mauritius Meteorological Services and Permanent Representative of Mauritius with the WMO, Dr Prithiviraj Booneeady; Delegates from SADC Member States; Representatives of the European Union and the World Bank; and other personalities were also present on this occasion.
In his address, VPM Husnoo highlighted the importance of producing accurate forecasts for the 2023-2024 rainfall season. This endeavour, he pointed out, is not just a routine administrative task but is a vital component of our collective effort to enhance the contribution of all national meteorological and hydrological services to early warning and disaster preparedness.
The VPM underscored that timely and accurate weather forecasts provide invaluable early warning which enable the Authorities, as well as the population at large, to prepare for and respond to impending weather hazards.
By anticipating cyclones, floods, and droughts, Governments can take measures to protect their communities, evacuate the vulnerable, and stockpile essential supplies, he stated.
According to him, Mauritius, like many African Nations, relies partly on hydropower for its energy needs. He thus emphasised that managing our water resources efficiently is not just an economic necessity but a matter of environmental responsibility.
Accurate rainfall forecasts, he added, allow us to make informed decisions about dams’ operation thus preventing both water scarcity and flood risk. Furthermore, VPM Husnoo remarked that Mauritius invested in improved infrastructure, enhanced radar system, early warning system, and disaster preparedness measures in order to mitigate the consequences of heavy rainfall.
He, moreover, seized this opportunity to recall that Government has been addressing climate change through mitigation efforts and by participating in international climate agreement which is crucial for reducing the frequency and severity of extreme weather event in the long term.
It is recalled that SARCOF-27 aims at reviewing previous rainfall season’s outlook made during the main SARCOF-26, held online in August 2022, and the mid-season update held physically in Johannesburg, South Africa, in December 2022.
The forum will further produce and issue the upcoming rainfall season’s climate outlook for the 2023/24 period and consider contributions from users and stakeholders on mitigation strategies.
It thus seeks to improve the contribution of all the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to early warning and disaster preparedness while informing climate sensitive key economic sectors on the seasonal outlook to facilitate informed decision making.
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