PHNOM PENH, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Cambodia handed over 24 automatic weather stations and 29 automatic hydrological stations to Cambodia's Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology on Friday, said a UNDP's statement.
"The handover of the stations brings the Cambodian government one step closer to adapting to climate change, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts," the statement said.
Reliable climate information and forecasting is important in any country, particularly a country like Cambodia in which around 80 percent of the population lives in rural areas, with many reliant on weather-dependent livelihoods in agriculture and fisheries, it said.
Since 2015, with the financial backing of Global Environment Facility-Least Developed Countries Fund, the project "Strengthening Climate Information and Early Warning Systems in Cambodia to Support Climate Resilient Development and Adaptation to Climate Change" has been supporting the Cambodian government in boosting climate information and early warning systems within the country, it said.
"Our aim is to equip Cambodia with reliable infrastructure, including new and upgraded weather and hydrological stations, for improved data capture, forecasting and sharing of information for planning as well as disaster preparedness," said Project Manager Muhibuddin Usamah.
"Real-time climate and environment data can be used to detect adverse trends, predict potential climatic impacts and analyze ongoing weather patterns," he said.
