The National Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics (INAMET) predicts the occurrence of heavy rains in the next six months, specifically in the northern and coastal regions of the country, covering the provinces of Bengo, Cuanza-Norte, Cuando-Cubango and Luanda, said the director general on Wednesday.
João Afonso said that the forecast is of occurrence of above-normal rainfall in the months from November to January and from February to March, having warned the sectors of Agriculture and Energy and Water to remain vigilant, taking into account the consequences of these changes.
The INAMET director general presented the changes in weather at the 1st National Forum on Climate Forecasts in Angola (NCOF), organized by the Ministry of Telecommunications, Information and Social Communication Technologies (MINTTICS) and which was attended by experts from the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The Forum was held from 28 to 30 October, with the theme “On the Front Line of Climate Action”, whose objective was to initiate a dialogue between climate information providers, researchers and users.
João Afonso considered it necessary to follow the daily forecasts, so that everyone is alert and prepared for any damage that the rains may cause, having ensured that INAMET will work to pass the information in a timely manner, to safeguard the lives and property of citizens.
“It is likely that most of Angola will receive normal rainfall with a tendency to above average, during most of the period from October to December this year, including the North region and the provinces located in the Coastal region.
The rest of the regions are likely to receive normal rainfall, with a tendency to below average,” he explained.
INAMET, said, also predicts that in the period from January to March 2025, normal rainfall will occur in almost all of the country, except for the regions of the Northwest, including the provinces located on the seafront, namely Luanda and Cuanza-DoSouth, as well as in the east and southeast of Angola, where normal rainfall is expected with a tendency to above average.
The INAMET director general reported that SADC experts advocate for the improvement of the National Climate Services, capacity development among INAMET technicians and stakeholders, to produce and implement the NCOF and promote the use of the User Interface Platform (UIP).
João Afonso reported that the Executive, through MINTTICS, through INAMET, in collaboration with the Climate Services Center (CSC) of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), held the forum to define new strategies for the region, under the Intra-Regional ProgramClimate Services and Related Applications (ClimSA).
For this reason, said SADC intends to create a project with terms of reference and adapt to the priority sectors of Angola, with emphasis on agriculture and water.
The SADC recommendations highlight the inclusion of seasonal weather forecast, for overlapping quarterly substations in the months of October, November and December 2024, in addition to November, December, January, February and March 2025, with the intention of facilitating the production of the sectors of Water, Agriculture and the reduction of disaster risks.
Angola is the following exemple
At the time, the SADC high representative, Surekha Ramessur, highlighted that the meteorological services of Angola serve as an example for other countries in the region.
Surekha Ramessur reported that an assessment of the forecast was made in August this month, in which Angola stood out, adding that SADC has supported the country with infrastructure, technical means and human resource training.
“The technological development for weather forecasting of the Southern African Development Community is modern and has enabled the implementation of the project of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), called ClimSA, where Angola is focal point in the region.
In turn, the INAMET Director-General, João Afonso, revealed that the country has become the focal point of the Clima SA project, due to the investments made by the Executive in Meteorology services, which aroused the interest of SADC member countries.
During the first two days of the forum, INAMET technicians and climatologists, accompanied by the climate services of the Agriculture, Energy and Water sectors, analyzed the validation of last year’s seasonal forecast and assessed this year’s impacts.
The Executive, said through INAMET, invested in five networks of seismic stations in the provinces of Bengo, Cuanza-Sul, Huíla, Lunda-Norte and Moxico, with another infrastructure being deployed in cooperation with the European Union in Huambo.
The leader said that MINTTICS intends to install another seismic station in Ganda, Benguela province, this year, which will facilitate the prediction of high and low magnitude earthquakes.
Source: Jornal de Angola
