BMKG Will Receive 30.3 Million Euro Soft Loan

Heavy clouds release rain over the capital city of Jakarta with the National Monument (back L) silhouetted in the dull light on October 25, 2010. The global weather phenomenon La Nina has played a big role in decreasing agricultural output and has caused flooding across Indonesia that also reduced production of some crops.

Jakarta, Indonesia (News Today) - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) will receive a 30.3 million Euro soft loan from France based on a financial protocol agreement between the two governments. The financial protocol agreement was signed at a ceremony here Tuesday by Retno LP Marsudi, director general of America and Europe at the foreign ministry, and Pierre Sellal, a senior French foreign minsitry official. "The French government will provide a 30.3 million Euro soft loan to Indonesia with a grace period of 19 years," Retno said. The loan was intended to strengthen the BMKG’s climate and weather services capacity by immproving its technology and professional knowledge.

"This is a concrete step in terms of bilateral cooperation in strengthening Indonesia’s climate agency BMKG as previously discussed by both countries’ presidents in December 2009 in Paris, France, during Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s official visit and his French counterpart Nikolas Sarkozy," Pierre Sellal said. The agreement’s signing coincided with the celebration of the 60th anniversary of RI-France relationship in 2011, Sellal said. The BMKG’s Deputy Director General for Climatology Widada Sulistya said the agency had been collaborating with its French counterpart since 1994 and as a result, it now had an advanced weather forecasting system and earthquake measuring instruments.

"Present cooperation will focus on improving ways to reduce the impact of climate change through provision of weather early warning systems for housing or farming areas," Widada said. The weather forecasting system would also include climate sensors in some disaster- prone areas in Indonesia, Widada said. The censors would accurately measure the atmosphere, air temperature, pressure and humidity, wind velocity also rainfall level to immediately warn people about their local weather conditions as early as 3-4 hours in advance.

Source : kompas

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