UNDP strengthens hydrometeorological monitoring system that helps provide early warnings of mudflows and floods

UNDP, with financial support from the Green Climate Fund, provided Uzhydromet with new equipment to measure water velocity in rivers and canals and organized a hands-on practical training on how to use it for the relevant specialists across the country.

December 7, 2023

Specialists are using equipment to measure river parameters — Hydrologists are using APCD equipment

Image: UNDP Uzbekistan

It’s expected that climate change will exacerbate the existing water deficit that, in turn, requires more operative and precise water resource monitoring as well a significant part of Uzbekistan’s territory is prone to mudflow and flood. Strengthening hydrological and meteorological monitoring enables to mitigate the risks and potential harm caused by these climate change negative impacts. The use of the APCD not only allows specialists to save time and effort in measuring the water flow, but also support Uzhydromet in developing of the forecasting methods and thereby increase the chances of reducing the damage caused by these natural disasters, and most importantly, saving people’s lives.

The four-day training workshop was arranged specifically to provide a skills-based training to specialists from the central office of Uzhydromet and its regional departments. During the workshop, an international expert trainer, demonstrated hydrologists how to assemble the components of the system (ADCP) together, take measurements, and interpret the system’s readings. The hands-on part of the training took place at hydrological posts in the Tashkent region, where participants had a chance to conduct their own measurements under the supervision of the expert.

Training participants are learning on the spot - by the river — Image: UNDP Uzbekistan

“We have been measuring water flow, depth, and speed with a propeller-type current meter. While using this device, we need to manually calculate water discharge that takes a time and the whole process is quite laborious”

says Muhabbat Abdullayeva, training participant from the Khodzhikent hydrological station.

Uzhydromet's hydrologists are at the indoor training — Hydrologists are taking hands-on training on using APCD equipment

Image: UNDP Uzbekistan

“I am responsible for taking measurements at a hydrological station on the Amu Darya River. Measuring water velocity and other parameters with a mechanical current meter takes 3-4 hours, to get final data we need to calculate them manually, and, in general, it takes about 5 hours to get final data. Furthermore, these measurements cannot be performed alone. While using the APCD, we need to tow the system from one bank to the other, and the data is ready. You can go through it several times and get more precise data. In this case, the whole procedure takes about 10-15 minutes.”

Olim Yuldashev, a specialist at a hydrological station in Karakalpakstan, supported Muhabbat's point with his comment.

Training participants are assembling the APCD equipment

Uzhydromet's hydrologists are at the practical training

Uzhydromet's hydrologists are at the training

Previously, UNDP provided similar equipment to Uzhydromet agency in Karakalpakstan. Specialists such as Olim Yuldashev have already acknowledged its simplicity and shared their experience of using this technology during the workshop.

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The project “Enhancing Multi-Hazard Early Warning System to increase resilience of Uzbekistan communities to climate change-induced hazards” is a joint effort of UNDP, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Uzhydromet, funded by the Green Climate Fund. The project is designed to ensure modernization of the country’s early warning system into an impact-based MHEWS with the focus on floods, mudflows, landslides, avalanches and hydrological drought in the more populous and economically important eastern mountainous regions of Ferghana Valley.

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