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 Support for Infrastructure Development for Climate Services in Sri Lanka


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IRI has provided its services to assist with infrastructure development for the application of climate services in a few catalytic ways. Chief among them is the development of a climate research group at Polgolla, the quarterly communication of developments in the climate field and the training of post-graduate students. All of this is described elsewhere. In addition, the following have been contributions towards developing climate services. 

  • Services by Lareef Zubair as a Visiting Scientist attached to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Economic Reform in January 2002.  The following services were provided: 
    • 30 hour graduate course on statistical analysis for meteorology was provided at the University of Colombo. 
    • A four lecture series on current developments were provided at the Department of Meteorology, Colombo. 
    • One on one training was undertaken with several meteorological officers. 
    • A concept note on how climate predictions could be developed was presented to the Ministry at the conclusion of the visit.
    • Software and Literature were provided to the Department of Meteorology 
  • Support is being provided to the National Steering Committee on Seasonal Climate Prediction that was set up on the instructions of the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation. This includes IRI predictions tailored to Sri Lanka. 
  • Assessment of Bibliographic material on the climate of Sri Lanka was undertaken. This material will be developed for publication. 
  • Literature on seasonal climate prediction and its application is being distributed to various libraries and research groups that are conducting relevant research. 
  • A campaign against a plan to handover a large part of the Colombo Meteorological Observatory to a Foreign High Commission was supported.

Address to the Minister of Water Resources  

Photo: The potential and limitations of climate prediction was presented at the office of the Sri Lankan Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation in January 2003 and the audience included the Minister, the Secretary, the Director-General of the Mahaweli Authority and Officials of the Ministry of Water Resources and Environment and Department of Irrigation and the Interim National Water Resources Authority.  

 

Contact for more information:
  Dr Lareef Zubair

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