The Peruvian Meteorological and Hydrological Service of Peru (SENAMHI) is implementing an early warning monitoring system for heavy rains and associated events for the Rimac River basin, which will benefit over 5 million people. The system will include meteorological radar and lightning detection, and meteorological and hydrological stations. SDC will provide SENAMHI with technical assistance for purchasing the equipment through its Hub for Risk Management and Humanitarian Aid.
SENAMHI is part of the National Early Warning Network (RNAT), and leads the implementation of multi-hazard early warning systems (MHEWS) associated with heavy rains, floods and mud/slides. In July 2019, the government announced that these activities were a priority, and in August of the same year SENAMHI installed the RNAT Technical Coordination Committee, an organization that coordinates, liaises and promotes implementing early warning systems for the various hazards that occur in Peru that are susceptible to monitoring.
Swiss Cooperation invited the Brazilian specialists Luiz Augusto Toledo Machado and Carlos Frederico Angelis to Peru from 27 – 31 January. They are experts in remote sensing of rainfall and deep convection through radar technology and lightning detection systems, and are very knowledgeable in designing and operating these systems so that they can be used sustainably in the early warning of intense rainfall. Their visit was part of the support SDC has been providing to SENAMHI, through the Hub for Disaster Risk Reduction and Humanitarian Aid being implemented in the region.
SDC’s support consists of capacity-building and transfer of expertise on the observation systems, to produce detailed technical information and the approximate costs for implementing the improved observation system in the Rimac River Basin. This is part of the multi-hazard early warning system, specifically regarding meteorological radars and the lightning detection system.
The lightning detection network and the meteorological radar will provide real-time information about storms, and the high temporal and spatial resolution will enable the authorities to warn of torrential rains, flash floods and possible flooding, and especially to trigger warnings of possible flash-floods in the ravines that threaten the communities living in the town of Chosica, and to forecast serious storms on the scale of the basin.
The specialists’ mission agenda included technical meetings with SENAMHI President Ken Takahashi; Vladimir Ferro Ameri, advisor; Erick Asenjo, Director of Planning; Nelson Quispe, Director of the Weather Forecasting Division and Jorge Chira, SENAMHI specialist. They also met with SDC staff members Carlos Muñoz, regional advisor on Disaster Risk Reduction & Rapid Response, and Omar Bellprat, specialist in DRR and RR.
They also travelled to Cocachacra, Santiago de Tuna and Chacla, locations that had been previously selected, in order to discuss the technical infrastructure and assess their suitability for the installation of radars and lightning sensors.
SENAMHI is now awaiting the technical document which the specialists are drafting and which will include: (i) the definition of possible locations for meteorological radars; (ii) a proposal for the design of the lightning detection system; (iii) the technical specifications of the lightning detection radars and sensors; and (iv) recommendations for capacity-building for the SENAMHI specialists who will operate this equipment.
Picture Gallery here.
For further information:
Fact sheet Disaster Risk Reduction and Humanitarian Aid Programme – Lima Hub (Peru)
Web Disaster Risk Reduction and Humanitarian Aid Programme – Lima Hub (Peru)
