RP likely to acquire first Doppler radar by 2010

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is likely to acquire its first Doppler radar by 2010 that will help improve the country’s weather forecasting capability, officials said yesterday.

Prisco Nilo, director of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), said the first Doppler radar in the country, which will be installed in Virac, Catanduanes, will be operational by 2010.

He said the construction of the Doppler radar is part of Pagasa’s joint project with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The project, which has an allocation of more than P1 billion, allows the rehabilitation of the three existing radars in Virac, Aparri, Cagayan and Guiuan, Samar.

“The construction of the Doppler radar in Virac will start in the latter part of 2009 and will take at least one year to be completed,” Nilo told a press briefing.

He said the radars that are to be installed in the country are among the latest in Japan.

The Doppler radars are capable of generating short-term but highly accurate weather forecasts.

JICA and Pagasa have recently completed the basic design study for the construction of the three meteorological radar systems.

Uchida Yoshihisi, project consultant from the Japan Weather Association, said the three Doppler radars will cover almost the entire country, except from some portions of Mindanao.

Mimura Satoru, project team leader, said that aside from providing the equipment, JICA also trained Filipino weathermen to operate the Doppler radars.

Yoshihisi said the JICA-Pagasa project is expected to be finished by 2013.

Nilo said aside from the three radars funded by the Japanese government, seven more Doppler radars are to be installed in Tagaytay City (1); Subic, Zambales; Baguio City (1); Baler, Quezon (1); (1); Mactan, Cebu (1); and Mindanao (2).

The seven radars, on the other hand, are funded by the Philippine government.

Nilo said the radars for Subic and Tagaytay are currently undergoing bidding.

Due to its geographical location, the Philippines is one of the worst-hit countries by typhoons in the world. It is visited by an average of 20 tropical cyclones every year.

According to Pagasa, tropical cyclones account for 92.5 percent of the total damage from natural disasters annually.