PESHAWAR, May 16: The United States has pledged $6.5 million for a flood forecasting and warning system in the NWFP. Officials said the federal government had planned to instal a Doppler Weather Radar at Cherat in Nowshera district to provide information about impending floods and minimise damage.

The system in the NWFP is part of the federal government’s project -- Strengthening of National Capacity for Multi-hazard Early Warning and Response System – to be executed with the $38.25 million US assistance.

The system would enable weather pundits to monitor snow cover, rainfall amounts, stream flows, temperature and river ice conditions.

The system for the province has been necessitated because of frequent flash flood which often caused colossal human and property losses, especially in Nowshera, Charsadda and Mardan.

Mardan district Nazim Himayatullah Mayar told Dawn that the prime minister, who had visited the district last year on the occasion of sever floods, had promised to establish an early warning system.

He said the prime minister had asked the secretary defence and the NWFP governor to expedite the process.

An official said that a PC-1 had been prepared but it awaited the final approval. He said the government was expected to approve the plan before the flood season started in May through August.

Information needed for flood forecasting included the stream stage level and amount and distribution of precipitation, he said, adding that the stream stage would be measured at stream-gauging stations where automated equipment would be used to monitor and record the water level.

Precipitation gauges distributed throughout the drainage basin would be used to measure and record the amount of precipitation during the storm season, he said.

The information together with the quantitative Precipitation Measurement Doppler Radar would allow the amount and distribution of precipitation to be accurately estimated from which stream discharge at a given location would be predicted and converted into an estimate of stream flow, he said.

The official said that higher reliability of forecasts would result in improved dam water management, flood fighting and evacuations likely to be caused by floods. This would reduce flood damage to the irrigation network infrastructure, road network and people’s sufferings, he added.

The provision of flood forecasting equipment would help improve capability of the meteorological department and related organisations to effectively manage flood forecasting and warning issued to the people through coordinated efforts, the official added.