Hydrometeorological Forecasting and Early Warning System in La Plata Basin

Project

The La Plata River Basin is the second largest river basin in South America, with an approximate surface area of three million square kilometers. The Paraguay River flows freely through 2 600 km, passing through the largest wetland in the world before joining the Paraná River. It home to more than 100 million people from five different countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. While the rivers in the basin greatly contribute to the economy of the region, they also experience large floods that impact the surrounding local communities and large cities. 

Demands for increased food and energy production, and the presence of populations at risk of flooding require increased knowledge of the Basin’s hydrometeorological regime and the adoption of the latest technologies to meet these challenges. The Hydrometeorological Forecasting and Early Warnings System in the La Plata Basin (PROHMSAT) project seeks to enhance the capacities of the region's NMHSs for the provision of flood forecasting, decreasing the vulnerability of the surrounding communities against the impact of floods. 

Structure

The project is structured around six main outputs: 

  1. Establish hydrometeorological and Early Warning System (EWS) in La Plata Basin, integrating existing developments and strengthening standard FFGS components
  2. Establish permanent technical working group on operational hydrology for sub-basins of the La Plata Basin 
  3. Strengthen RA-III in flood forecasting and early warning systems
  4. Train NMHS technicians in hydrometeorological and EWS tools
  5. Develop a public information interface 
  6. Develop EWS tools

There are four expected outcomes:

  1. Strengthened NMHSs capacities for the provision of flood forecasting
  2. Improved quality and quantity of available information for institutions related to floor risk management and for the public in general 
  3. Strengthened adaptive capacities of hydro-meteorological community in the La Plata Basin 
  4. Strengthened capacity of the entire RA-III in flood forecasting and early warning systems 
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Completed
Funding:
US$ 1 500 000.00
WMO Strategic Priority:
  • Climate Resilience and Adaptation

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