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The Government of Uganda in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, launched the Early Warning System (EWS) Project to strengthen the country’s capability to provide timely climate information and Early warning Systems to minimize the impact of these climate-related disasters.

The project, “Strengthening Climate Information and Early Warning Systems project for Climate Resilient Development and Adaptation to Climate Change in Uganda” was launched on 21st March 2014 in Mbale Eastern Uganda. The project is part of the UNDP Climate Information and Early Warning Systems Africa Regional initiative which covers 10 Countries in Africa and is funded under the Global Environment Facility’s Least Developed Countries Development Fund (LDCF) for climate change. Rationale of the project: Basic components of a functioning weather, climate and hydrological monitoring system (including synoptic, agro-meteorological and hydrological stations, satellite receivers, radar and upper air stations) in Uganda have not been updated with appropriate automated equipment and have been insufficiently maintained over the last 20-30 years.

Insufficient coverage of meteorological and hydrological observation stations has resulted in limited monitoring of vulnerable regions and populations, e.g. drought conditions (rainfall) are not monitored for agricultural lands, intense rainfall is not monitored in areas prone to landslides and flooding, and rapid rises in rivers are not identified as a precursor to flooding.

The project’s main objective is to establish a functional network of meteorological and hydrological monitoring stations to help understand better the weather and climatic changes overtime and provide timely information to avert any weather and climate change related disasters.