BY MAVIS NISHIMURA PODOKOLO
A call to install all early warning systems in one place was made during the launching of the wrapped-up event of the Solomon Islands Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology Capacity Development Project (SIMCAP) last week.
This call was made by a concerned outspoken staff working at the division of Meteorology under the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorological (MECDM).
He said the early warning systems are meteorology, seismology and hydrology equipment, to name a few, which function to produce relevant and timely information in a systematic way prior to a disaster in order to make informed decisions and to take actions.
“Having few of the leading systems located in different ministry has been a problem in regards to our work.
“Hence we want all lead sources (early warning systems) to be located in one place to help us predict and mitigate the harm of natural and human- initiated disasters and other undesirable natural disasters.
“With this appeal we want the second planned phase of the SIMCAP project to consider this seriously and address it.”
In response to the request, Permanent Secretary of the MECDM Dr Melchior Mataki said this issue has been a long standing request to have two sectors under the ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Election which is the seismology and hydrology sectors to transfer meteorology service under the MECDM.
“I would say maybe there are reasons why they set these systems historically but we need to relook at it and consider it in terms of early warning aspects,” he said.
