-other weather stations to be established across the country

THE Agriculture Ministry’s Hydrometeorological Department has re-activated a number of weather stations across the country in an effort to support hinterland agriculture. Thus, after more than twenty years of being inactive, the Wauna Climate Meteorological Station in Barima-Waini, Region One, has recently been reactivated as part of efforts to ensure weather changes and climatic conditions are correctly recorded, in order to foster improved agricultural practices.Works carried out on the station were concluded on June 25 last, and trial tests have since commenced to ensure the effective use of the new, state-of-the-art technology. This station is now fully equipped with instruments to effectively measure a number of weather-related activities, such as temperature, rainfall, wind speed and direction, evaporation, soil temperature, sunshine hours, etc.

Additionally, the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) has been able to carry out works on its AgroMet Station, and this will function collaboratively with the Climate Met station.

Both stations are scheduled for commissioning in October of this year as part of the Agriculture Month’s calendar of activities.

Another weather station is set to be re-established at Kato, Region Eight. This weather station has also been down for in excess of twenty years, making it difficult to determine the weather patterns in the region, which have had a direct effect on residents and agriculture-related practices. This facility will be equipped with an automatic weather station along with an automatic hydrological station.

In an invited comment, Chief Hydrometeorological Officer (ag) Dr. Garvin Cummings said the projects would have great beneficial impact on hinterland agriculture. “With the operation of these stations we will be able to conduct water quantity monitoring, and also monitor the Chiung Falls, which has hydropower potential,” he said.

The Ministry of Agriculture will, in early September, be establishing a climate station at Barima. This, too, would be furnished with the necessary equipment to effectively predict climatic changes and weather patterns, to foster improved agricultural practices in the hinterland.

The hydrometeorological arm of the Agriculture Ministry is also in the process of procuring tidal stations to provide tidal data. The first will be stationed in the vicinity of the Berbice River Bridge. Agriculture Minister Noel Holder, recognizing the importance of the hydrometeorological services to agriculture, has been lobbying for the establishment of tidal stations. (GINA)