The dedicated 'flood watchers' of central Viet Nam
The central region of Việt Nam usually bears the brunt of tropical storms that lash the country each year.
For generations, the people in this region have learnt to co-exist with the devastating floods every year, but to foretell when these disasters will occur to prevent loss of human life and minimise economic damage is the responsibility of hydro-meteorological observers, who have earned the title ‘flood watchers’.
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Amongst the 22 weather stations in Thanh Hoá, the Mường Lát hydrometeorological station is considered to have the “heaviest duty” – monitoring the slightest changes to the Mã River to tell if there flooding or landslides are imminent.
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Since 2012, the region has received state-of-the-art equipment from overseas – including 49 rain gauges from South Korea that use GPRS/GSM technology to ensure uninterrupted data transmission, three automatic ocean observatories and 11 wind stations in coastal areas in addition to one weather radar and one weather satellite system.
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Aside from new equipment, the national weather agency has also attempted to mobilise funding both from domestic and foreign sources to improve the infrastructure at important weather stations.
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