The Fijian Government will continue to support the development of Fiji’s meteorological services because of the critical role that the Fiji Meteorological Service plays in the country and in the region.
Those were the words of Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Hon. Vijay Nath as he addressed meteorological directors this week at the Regional Forum for Directors of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services in Regional Association Five (V) South - West Pacific.
“Apart from our political approach, the Fijian Government has invested in the Disaster Risk Reduction infrastructure and modernising the Fiji Meteorological Service to enhance its services to the regional countries,” he told directors and senior officials from the World Meteorological Organisation.
“Government has upgraded three Radars to Doppler capability, implemented data rescue and digitisation, installed telemetry systems for weather, climate and hydrological data needs, set up a disaster recovery centre in Suva to ensure business continues as usual should regional meteorological service centre (RSMC) Nadi go offline for some reasons.”
Dr Chung Kyu Park, World Meteorological Organisation's Director Regional Office for Asia and the South-West Pacific said the WMO would continue to work with the Fijian Government to strengthen the capacity of staff at the RSMC Nadi.
"The Office in Nadi is critical not only to Fiji but the region as well as it is only one of six in the world that tracks tropical cyclone and hydrological data to other countries and centres around the globe," Dr Park said. "It is a regional asset and we are grateful to hear of the assurances of the Fijian Government."