Mekong Flood Warnings to Come Earlier

By Soy Sophea

Warnings of flooding along the Mekong River and its tributaries should come earlier in future, thanks to investments currently being made in the regional forecasting system through the Mekong River Commission’s (MRC) Flood Management and Mitigation Programme.

According to a press statement dated May 27, delegates at the Sixth Annual Flood Forum, held in Phnom Penh May 27-28, addressed the issue of people vulnerable to flooding in the Lower Mekong Basin. They should soon receive better warning of inundation events. Improvements in technology and cooperation among the MRC member states, Cambodia, the Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam, plus enhanced capacity in data gathering and analysis services in each country, means that maximum advanced notice for forecasting floods will increase from five days to ten before the next rainy season.

The statement also raised the recent tragic events in Myanmar as justification for the need to analyse weather and development patterns carefully, and to share information on a real-time basis to judge the threats of flooding.

Vice Chairman of Cambodia’s National Mekong Committee, Sin Niny, told the meeting that rapid population growth in the region, together with urbanisation and changes in land use and river morphology, mean that the existing flood warning capacity needs upgrading. In accord with this, the four countries that constitute membership of the MRC are to develop a new system that can provide medium-term flood forecasts.

The annual forum, organised by the MRC’s Regional Flood Management and Mitigation Centre in Phnom Penh, is held to improve scientific and logistical cooperation and aims to ensure that people along the Mekong and its tributaries are less vulnerable to flood damage, but can continue to benefit from the positive aspects of annual inundation. This year’s forum is held under the theme “Integrated Approaches and Applicable Systems for Medium-term Flood Forecasting and Early Warning in the Mekong River Basin”.