Projected monitoring stations to record effects of climate change — JMD

AMMAN — A total of 192 telemetric hydro-geological and meteorological monitoring stations will be operating by 2017 to prepare the Kingdom for climate change, officials said on Monday.

Under the Hydrometeorological System Support Project, the network of stations will cover groundwater, weather and rainfall, surface run-off and dams among other applications, Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) Director Mohammad Samawi said.

The project, financed by the German Development Bank (KfW) and implemented by Dornier Consulting, will monitor and provide data on the weather, rain, groundwater, surface water run-off, dams and abstraction of wells, Samawi added during a ceremony marking World Meteorological Day.

He highlighted that the theme for this year’s World Meteorological Day is “Climate knowledge for climate action”.

“Climate change is a source of concern because it affects all socio-economic sectors. In addition, data on the changing weather indicate that climate change is already affecting our lives,” Samawi noted.

Having sufficient climate knowledge will lead to informed actions to reduce losses resulting from meteorological phenomena; therefore, it is essential for meteorological departments to issue highly accurate weather forecasts, acquire early warning systems for extreme weather and issue climate predictions for months or seasons, he added.

Samawi underscored the importance of providing JMD with support to obtain state-of-the-art technology, training its staff and acquainting it with the expertise of developed countries in meteorological sciences.

The government is currently drafting new regulations to further develop and support JMD, according to Transport Ministry Secretary General Ghaith Dababneh.

Dababneh said the new regulations will allow JMD to charge institutions benefiting from its services and regulate the process of weather forecasting in the Kingdom.