The state-of-the-art Doppler Weather Radar at Hyde Park, Timehri, linking with similar European Union (EU)-funded structures in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Belize, was yesterday officially commissioned.

The grand commissioning coincided with the launching of Agriculture Month 2009, under the theme “Building a New Agriculture Sector along a Long Carbon

Path”.
The four radar towers join five others in Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Guadalupe, Martinique and French Guiana, to complete the wider Caribbean basin weather radar network.

From left, Caribbean Meteorological Organisation Director Tyrone Sutherland, CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Edwin Carrington and Acting President Samuel Hinds at the unveiling of the commemorative plaque at the weather radar.

Addressing a well attended gathering including Acting President Samuel Hinds, CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Edwin Carrington, Caribbean Meteorological Organisation Coordinating Director Mr. Tyrone Sutherland, and Acting Chief Hydrometeorological Officer Ms. Bhaleka Suelall at a ceremony convened at the radar’s site Agriculture Minister, Robert Persaud hailed the commissioning as an historic occasion.

“Seventeen years ago, our country witnessed the dawn of the new era. Guyana successfully transitioned from an underdeveloped, undemocratic nation to one which can hold its head high in the community of nations.

“The era we live in today is one in which long-held dreams of people are being materialised, the potential of this nation being unlocked, and Guyana is playing a pioneering role on issues such as climate change and a just world economic system.

“Today, we meet to celebrate one of the many manifestations and developments of this new period in our country’s history – the historic commissioning of our own Doppler Weather Radar,” Persaud said.

He acknowledged that while the radar may not be able to prevent a drought or a flood, it will provide improved forecasting accuracies, strengthen early warning systems, mitigate and even prevent the occurrences of losses from weather related events.

The Doppler Weather Radar here is part of an EU Euro 13 M regional project funded by the EU and implemented through the CMO in Trinidad, with support from the Government of Guyana.

Persaud said too that undoubtedly, the structure constitutes a reflection of Government’s ongoing efforts to address weather and climate related issues.

“This new generation of radar will complement our current hydrometeorological monitoring network,” he stressed.

The state-of-the-art radar will provide continuous real-time radar coverage out to 400 kilometres from Timehri.

It will allow forecasters to increase precision in defining the areas where severe weather is likely to form; identify the characteristic patterns indicating a high probability of severe thunderstorms; improve accuracy in forecasting the time, intensity and location of heavy precipitation; and provide timely and accurate weather information.

“Consequently, planners and policymakers in agriculture, water resources management, engineering, aviation, mining, sea defences and the public at large, would also be provided with much needed real time weather information which will make a timely impact on security, civil defence and national development,” Persaud outlined.

The modern facility, the minister said, will also have a crucial role to play in wider risk management strategies in agriculture.

“Already, we have been discussing relevant agriculture insurance instruments with both local and international agencies.

“Investment in this and similar infrastructure is also linked to the broader goal of making our agricultural sector more competitive and viable,” he told the gathering.

Persaud said as part of the wider modernisation programme, his ministry envisaged that as the Hydromet Service expands, it will one day in the near future centralise its entire operations to Hyde Park Timehri.

The minister also noted that Guyana is deeply affected by longer-term weather patterns like El Niño and La Niña, and on that point underlined that climate change has become the defining issue of the 21st century.

“For the Agriculture sector, favourable weather conditions are critical. We may have the best planting material, best technologies and may have invested in significant financing and our time, yet extreme weather events, such as typhoon Ketsana that struck the Philippines and surrounding countries can devastate all of that in a matter of hours,” he contended.

With this situation in mind, Persaud reasoned, climate change and global warming will mean even more severe weather conditions, not only in Guyana, but around the world.

He said President Jagdeo has recognised the role Guyana can play in helping the world fight climate change and has set out his vision for Guyana to assist in the mitigation of climate change.

CARICOM Secretary General Dr Edwin Carrington said the services of the radars under the EU project are invaluable to the Caribbean Community, stressing that the prediction and monitoring of hurricanes are critical, as he alluded to the case with hurricane in Ivan Grenada in 2004.

He lauded President Jagdeo and St. Lucian Prime Minister Stephenson King (who is the regional spokesperson on climate change) for their advocacy as well as the determined efforts they have been making in the international community on climate change.

The Secretary-General underlined that disaster preparedness and mitigation are vital elements of planning within key sectors of local and regional sectors, particularly in agriculture, tourism and transportation, in terms of their contribution growth and economic development.

Acting President Samuel Hinds also pointed out that the project is a reflection of national development, and said Guyana still has a far way to go.

He said too that development is beyond the efforts of any single individual, and on that note urged all Guyanese to put their shoulders to the wheel in unity and harmony for the betterment of their country.

Head of the EU Delegation to Guyana, Mr. Geert Heikens, lauded the Government for the quick adjustment of the project site after discovering the original location was unsuitable.

He said the EU supports the Government’s initiative on climate change and would allocate a further Euro 4 M to support the local efforts.

During the ceremony, St. Joseph High student Joshua Hammichand was honoured by the Caribbean Agriculture Research and Development Institute (CARDI) for his outstanding performance in agriculture at the last Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.