OUTCOME 6 - SUCCESS STORY 1 Monitoring, Forecasting and Dissemination of the Basin’s Conditions, in the context of Low Flows, Floods, and Droughts
Indicators:
- The extent to which Line / Implementing Agencies use MRC reports and information systems for better decision making
- Quality (timeliness and accuracy) of MRC forecasting information in critical or emergency situations.
Highlights
Monitoring and forecasting of hydrologic conditions in the basin have been a mainstay of the MRC’s core services since its beginning, signifying its utmost importance and chronic need in the region and MRC’s critical role in addressing that need.
In early 2019, the Regional Flood Management and Mitigation Centre (referred to as the Regional Flood Centre), which was established in 2006, was renamed as the Regional Flood and Drought Management Centre (RFDMC) to accurately reflect the expanded scope of services and also to bring the increasing threat of drought in the region front and centre.
This event signified MRCs’ heightened efforts to address both flood and drought issues in the Mekong region in an integrated manner, taking advantage of the significant improvements in the capability of the Centre to provide faster and more accurate flood and drought forecasting and early warning information throughout the year to potentially impacted communities.
Continuing improvements in 2019 included the upgrade, operation and maintenance of the supporting monitoring and communications infrastructure such as the Mekong-HYCOS hydrometeorological network; the near real-time monitoring, and flood and drought forecasting websites; the timely delivery of both routine and emergency monitoring and forecasting services by the RFDMC; and the development and dissemination of routine flood and drought products such as bulletins, reports, and advisories.
Annual Operational Atatus of the HYCOS Stations in the Lower Mekong Basin from 2014- 2019
Improvement in the MRC Monitoring and Forecasting Websites
- Near Real-Time Monitoring (HYCOS) Website (http://monitoring.mrcmekong.org/)
- Flood Forecasting Website (http://ffw.mrcmekong.org)
- Drought forecasting and early warning website (http://droughtforecast.mrcmekong.org/maps)
MRC Interactive Web Page showing near Real-time Hydrologic Monitoring Data in the Lower Mekong Basin
Spurred in part by the MRC systems reinvigoration initiative, MRCS in parallel initiated work on major improvements in the current MRC IS data portal. Scheduled to be released in March 2020, the improved portal offers a more seamless integration of the abovementioned websites along with the PMFM website.
