Japan provides additional $ 5.5 million for Installation of Weather Surveillance Radar project in Sukkur City

Celina Ali

Islamabad: The Government of Japan on Thursday decided to provide additional grant of JPY 832 million (approx. US$5.5 million) for “the Project for Installation of Weather Surveillance Radar in Sukkur”, which was announced on 25 January 2021 with the original cost of JPY1,986 million (approx. US$13.12 million).

The Notes to this effect were signed and exchanged between H.E. Mr. WADA Mitsuhiro, Ambassador of Japan and Dr. Kazim Niaz, Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs on April 4, 2024. On the same occasion, amended grant agreements of the project were signed today between Mr. Naoaki MIYATA, Chief Representative, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Pakistan Office, and Mr. Saeed Ashraf Siddiqui, Joint Secretary Ministry of Economic (EAD).

The decision of this additional grant is in response to a request made by the Government of Pakistan due to a shortfall in the project cost caused by market price escalation.

Pakistan has a high frequency of natural disasters, such as floods, landslides, cyclones, and earthquakes. Quite notably, Pakistan experiences heavy damage to large parts of the country every year due to floods triggered by heavy rains during the monsoon season. Apart from this grant, we will train PMD’s staff through the technical cooperation project to improve the capacity of PMD for meteorological observation, forecasting, dissemination of meteorological information, contributing to the reduction of damage from natural disasters by utilizing the essential information with disaster-related stakeholders, such as NDMA and FFC.

We have already supported the Islamabad, Karachi, and Multan radars. After the installation of the Sukkur radar, the radars supported by JICA will cover almost 90% of areas in Pakistan.

Ambassador WADA said, “with the completion of this project in 2026, together with the projects in Islamabad, Karachi and Multan, which Japan has helped establish, 90% of Pakistan’s land area will be covered by the weather radar system. Accurate weather forecasts provided by these radars will help people to prepare for heavy rains and reduce the personal and economic damage caused by floods in the future. This project is in line with the spirit and policy of flood recovery expressed by Pakistan at the Geneva conference in January last year.”

The Government of Japan and JICA continue the assistance to enhance the disaster risk management initiatives of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.