Pagasa to 'co-locate' rain gauges in Smart cell sites

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) and Smart Communications Inc. recently signed an agreement for the implementation of a project that aims to improve the agency’s weather forecasting and flood warning system.

Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo said the project involves the “co-location” of telemetric rain gauges in 63 Smart cell sites nationwide. 

“The co-location of our telemetric gauges in Smart cell sites will complement our ongoing program to strengthen the capacity of Pagasa in issuing weather forecasts and flood warnings to the public,” Montejo said.

Pagasa is an attached agency of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

Montejo said each telemetric rain gauge automatically sends rainfall data to Pagasa’s 44 Automatic Weather Stations in the form of short messaging system or SMS.

The data are then posted real-time in Pagasa’s website (www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph) that’s accessible to the public, he said. 

“The co-location arrangement also means Pagasa telemetric rain gauges will have uninterrupted power supply during power outages caused by the weather dis­turbances,” said Montejo. 

Faster and reliable real-time weather forecasts and flood warnings are expected to help people prepare against threats of coming typhoons, he said.

Moreover, DOST Undersecretary and concurrent Pagasa acting administrator Graciano Yumul Jr. said the agreement saves the weather bureau additional expenses in setting up new locations for its weather forecasting instruments since Smart cell sites are already in place nationwide.

“The new agreement expands a similar initiative previously covering Metro Manila. Smart offered to accommodate the installation of the additional Pagasa rain gauges in its cell sites nationwide,” Yumul said.

He said Pagasa and Smart engineers earlier met to identify the ideal sites for co-location of the rain gauges in areas such as Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Abra, Benguet, Bulacan, Zambales, Metro Manila, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, Mindoro Oriental, and Marinduque, Camarines Norte, and Sorsogon in Luzon, and Negros Occidental, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, Bohol, Northern Samar, and Leyte in the Visayas. 

Other provinces in Mindanao considered for the project include Lanao del Norte, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Sarangani, Davao del Norte, Sultan Kudarat, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur. 

“Smart is very happy to be part of this noble partnership which aims at saving the lives of our people during disasters,” Smart Communications president and CEO Napoleon Nazareno said.