Pakistan to get Rs6.1 bn weather radar system from Japan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has signed an agreement with a consortium of Japanese companies for the installation of a state-of-the-art, dual polarisation weather surveillance radar in Multan.

The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs6,188.759 million, with a generous grant of Rs5,604.000 million from the government of Japan, while Pakistan will contribute Rs600.055 million to ensure the successful implementation of this transformative project, the PMD officials said on Thursday.

The contract agreement with the consortium of Japan Radio Co., Ltd. (JRC) and Tobishima Corporation was signed by PMD Director General Mahr Sahibzad Khan and the representative of JRC at a ceremony in Tokyo, Japan.

Senior Joint Secretary Aviation Division Mir Hassan Naqvi, Dr Muhammad Tahir Khan, Director Planning and Development PMD, representatives of JRC, JICA and International Meteorological Consultants (IMC) were also present.

The PMD officials said PMD Director General Mahr Sahibzad Khan took the initiative and worked diligently to overcome obstacles that stalled this project for the past five years.

It is significant milestone in strengthening Pakistan’s weather forecasting capabilities, they added.

The officials said this project faced delays due to the impact of Covid-19 and subsequent inflation over an extended period. However, the dedicated and effective efforts of PMD DG Shahibzad Khan successfully transformed this challenge into a reality, paving the way for advancements in weather and flood forecasting through the installation of the weather surveillance radar in Multan.