DOST installs weather instruments in Mt. Prov

By Andrew Doga-ong

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- Weather conditions and real-time weather disturbances in this province can now be forecast more accurately with installation of modern weather tracking instruments in strategic areas.

Department of Science and Technology provincial director Norberto Cobaldez said four  units automatic rain gauges (ARG) were installed in the towns of Bauko, Bontoc, Besao and Paracelis while one  automatic weather station (AWS) was set up at sitio Keffha, Samoki, Bontoc.

Financed by the Philippine Council of Industry, Energy, Research and Development, the locally-developed weather equipments were installed with the joint effort of the DOST, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration and the Advanced Science and Technology Institute.

This was in coordination with provincial and  host municipal government units and local disaster risk reduction and management offices in the province.

Cobaldez said the ARG records rain intensity and  amount of rainfall while the AWS also measures rain intensity, volume of rainfall, temperature, humidity and wind speed, direction and velocity.

Real-time data gathered by the two weather instruments are automatically transmitted to a central base station which will also send the data via short message service (SMS) to a server that is readily available to the public.

The data or information recorded by these instruments could serve as basis for the local government units to plan their disaster preparedness and mitigation measures or guide of the local chief executives in coming up with vital decisions or announcement such as suspension of classes or works and evacuation in case of heavy rains, said Cobaldez.

The setting up of these weather instruments particularly in disaster –prone provinces have enabled DOST and PAGASA to provide a comprehensive warning system.

The DOST director encouraged the public to access Project NOAH or log on at www.noah.dost.gov.ph or fmon.asti.dost.gov.ph websites to know weather conditions or track weather disturbances that may hit the province.