- The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology and IPPAN have signed an agreement to develop an early warning system for hydropower projects.
- The Director General of the Department said that the agreement will help prevent flood and landslide damage and reduce human and physical losses.
- The Energy Minister expressed confidence that this system will play a significant role in the hydropower sector.
May 21, Kathmandu — A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology and the Independent Power Producers’ Association, Nepal (IPPAN) to develop an early warning system for hydropower projects.
On Wednesday, during a program organized in Kathmandu on the occasion of National Monsoon Day, the agreement was signed by Kamal Ram Joshi, Director General of the Department, and Ganesh Karki, President of IPPAN.
In the program, Minister for Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, Deepak Khadka, stated that the implementation of the agreement would prove to be a milestone in the energy sector. He expressed confidence that although the implementation might slightly increase the cost of some projects, it would be negligible compared to the benefits gained from the early warning system, and thus, all projects would adopt it willingly.
Kamal Ram Joshi, Director General of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology under the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, stated that this agreement between the Department and IPPAN—the umbrella organization of more than 600 private energy-producing companies—will play a vital role in preventing flood and landslide damage in hydropower projects.
He stated that this agreement between IPPAN and the Department has been made with the objective of linking the flood and landslide early warning systems—already installed and to be installed in the future in hydropower projects promoted by the private sector—to the Department’s network. This will ensure timely dissemination of information related to rainfall, floods, and landslide risks at the hydropower project sites, enabling the adoption of safety measures and helping to minimize human and physical losses.
IPPAN President Ganesh Karki expressed confidence that, following this agreement, the impact of floods and landslides on hydropower projects would no longer cause significant physical and human losses as in the past.
He mentioned that last year’s flood in Kathmandu could not even save a hydropower project located 28 kilometers away. He also pointed out that issues related to insurance claim settlements after floods and landslides remain another ongoing problem.
He expressed confidence that the early warning system would reduce damage to the projects, which in turn would lead to fewer insurance claims.
“If information provided just a day in advance can significantly reduce damage, we now have technology that can provide warnings up to seven days ahead. This will certainly help minimize damage to the projects,” he said.
What’s in the Agreement?
Under this memorandum of understanding (MoU), which has been signed for a period of five years, one representative each from IPPAN and the Department will be appointed for its implementation. The duration of the agreement can be extended with mutual consent from both parties, and if either party does not agree, the agreement can be terminated. Although the MoU can be amended at any time with one month’s prior notice and mutual consent, any amendment must receive approval from the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation.
According to the agreement, the Department will provide IPPAN and its member projects with real-time data on rainfall and water levels through an Application Programming Interface (API) from May 29th to October 1st (corresponding to the monsoon period), based on river basins. The Department will also provide IPPAN with data categorized by river basin, along with weather forecast information for up to three days (or as available), via a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) link.
The Department will store the data provided to IPPAN on its own server, process it, and may sell or distribute it. However, if any member projects request the data for study or research purposes, it must be provided to them free of charge.
IPPAN and its member projects must transmit the data from the early warning systems they have installed to the Department’s server in the format specified by the Department. Any hydrological and meteorological forecasting equipment installed in the future must comply with the Department’s technical specifications.
Similarly, the memorandum of understanding states that the API provided by the Department must be kept confidential, and the data received should only be used for internal purposes, development promotion, and damage reduction; it must not be shared with any external third parties. The agreement also specifies that IPPAN and its member projects must prepare a weather-related report after every monsoon season and submit it to the Department and the Ministry of Energy.
Source: Online Khabar
