K6m gear for WNB to monitor weather

 WEST New Britain has an automated tidal gauge equipment to gather weather information – thanks to a $US2.7 million (K6.66 million) funding by the Japanese Government.

The equipment is designed to transmit data and information relating to tides, wind speed and direction, atmospheric pressure and sea currents. 

It was installed by Ace Tech Ltd and funded by Japan, administered through the World Bank.

The project was coordinated by the Office of Climate Change and Development. Its director Jacob Ekinye urged provincial governments to implement climate change issues.

Ekinye said provincial and local level governments should not use development interventions as substitute for their own findings. 

“They have a responsibility to fund climate change activities and programmes to build into their development plans,” he said.

The equipment, after being commissioned and launched through the internet, was handed over to National Maritime Safety Authority.

Provincial administrator Williamson Hosea said the province had experienced many maritime mishaps because of the adverse effects of climate change.

He said coastal communities continued to experience rising sea levels,  coastal erosion, strong winds, king tides and tidal surges.

Hosea said information gathered by the newly-installed equipment would enable agencies to analyse and disseminate information to assist disaster risk management programmes.