Example of seasonal forecast of rainfall. The source is the Climate Forecast System (CFS) by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), providing a 20-member ensemble forecast with 9-month lead time. The date being displayed is 5 August 2020.
DHI provided technical assistance and training from 2018-2019 to stakeholders in Myanmar using the Myanmar Flood and Drought Portal with the objective of strengthening the national capacity for dealing with flood and drought related events in data sparse areas. From issue analysis to risk assessment and dissemination, the online platform supports all key steps of the water resources management and planning processes. DHI provided a comprehensive interface for specialists of different sectors working with extreme event and water management, which allowed users to better understand the impact of floods and droughts. The objectives and scope of the technical assistance tapped into a number of Sustainable Development Goals such as goal 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation), 11 (Sustainable Cities & Communities), 13 (Climate Action), 15 (Life on Land) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
A portal with a wide variety of data and tools
The portal provides near real-time satellite-based data related to determining floods and droughts, seasonal and medium range climate forecasts, and relevant information for basin and local planning. On the portal, Myanmar has several climate change projection datasets for temperature, precipitation and evapotranspiration for different Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) of greenhouse gases and projection periods. Socio-economic, vegetation and land cover data are also available.
Furthermore, the portal contains tools for quick statistical calculations, tables and charts while allowing the user to download all datasets and analyses produced. Other applications hosted on the portal include a library of indicators and a tool for automatic reporting. Each application can be used individually or together to obtain information about floods, droughts and future scenarios. All data and tools are available in near real-time and free of charge. New datasets are continuously being added to the portal.
Multiple entities involved
Approximately 100 people, of which half were female, have been trained to use the free remote sensing data and tools in the Myanmar Flood & Drought Portal. A total of 20 different entities participated, including the following national departments: the Environmental Conservation Department and its Climate Change Division, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, the Irrigation and Water Utilisation Department, the Department of Disaster Management as well as the Hydro Informatics Institute and Yezin Agricultural University.
The total number of users has now reached 150 in Myanmar.
For further information, contact:
Sílvia Leirião
Water Resources Engineer
sls@dhigroup.com
Bertrand Richaud
Drought and Flood expert
ber@dhigroup.com