Japan and UNDP handed over equipment for forecasting and prevention of droughts to the National Hydrometeorological Service of Kazakhstan

On March 09, 2023, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) together with the Government of Japan officially handed over computing equipment that will be integrated into the national system of forecasting and prevention of droughts of Kazhydromet RSE.
Within the framework of the joint UNDP project "Using nationally determined contributions to achieve zero emissions and climate change-resistant development in response to a climate emergency", implemented with the support of the Government of Japan, work is planned to create methodologies, digitize data and increase the computing power of Kazhydromet RSE. The new equipment is an addition to the existing one and will allow you to quickly generate forecasts about the onset of drought to inform regional authorities and farms.
The official transfer of the equipment was attended by Vice Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Dosbol Bekmagambetov, Deputy Head of the diplomatic Mission, Advisor to the Embassy of Japan in Kazakhstan Kanata Tomohiro, UNDP Permanent Representative in Kazakhstan Sukhrob Khodzhimatov, Director General of Kazhydromet Danara Alimbayeva, media representatives, civil servants, international and national experts.
"In Kazakhstan, along with mitigation, it seems important to work on climate change adaptation projects in order to prepare infrastructure and economy for extreme weather events as a consequence of climate change. UNDP in Kazakhstan, together with development partners, will continue to provide systematic support to the Government of the country in implementing measures for sustainable agriculture, the introduction of renewable energy sources and energy conservation, the preservation of natural capital and Kazakhstan's fulfillment of international climate commitments," said Sukhrob Khodzhimatov, UNDP Permanent Representative in Kazakhstan.
According to Danara Alimbayeva, Director General of Kazhydromet RSE, agriculture is a climate-dependent branch of the economy, therefore, in the conditions of climate change and economic instability, agrometeorological service of agricultural enterprises in the region deserves special attention.
"In recent years, in order to expand the list of products offered to farmers and authorized state bodies, new models of agrometeorological forecasting have been introduced in Kazhydromet RSE and the methods of forecasting used have been improved, including for diversification crops and drought forecasting, in addition to equipment at the head office, we also introduce mobile applications, carry out scheduled trips along routes to specify the received data," Danara Alimbayeva said.