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LESOTHO METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES We are at your Service/Re Sebelise Lesotho Presentation: “Training workshop on the Assessment of Social and economic benefits for Meteorological and Hydrological Services for Members of the Southern African Development community (SADC)” by Retsepile Neko (Meteorologist, Weather Forecasting Division) and Khotso Makuoe (Weather Presenter, Public Weather Services) Map and location • About Lesotho • Population is 1,942,008 • Estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2014 est.) • Latest annual GDP (USD) of $2.458 billion (2014 est.) About Lesotho Composition of GDP; • Agriculture: 7.5% • Industry: 35.7% • Services: 56.9% Main industries; • Agricultural- products: corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock • food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts, construction, tourism About Lesotho • Climate: temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers • Terrain: mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains • Weather-related hazards: periodic droughts, heavy rains, snow, tornadoes, strong winds, thunderstorms. Lesotho Met Services Vision • To be a center of Excellency that provides accurate, reliable and timely weather and climate services for sustainable socio economic development by the year 2020. Objective • The main objective of LMS is to apply and integrate the science of meteorology with social and economic activities, particularly in poverty reduction, employment creation, protection of atmospheric environment and promotion of measures to adapt to climate change. Lesotho Met Services • LMS is the Government arm on weather, climate and the atmospheric environment responsible for: • Provision of Meteorological Services: Weather and climate affects every facet of life. Provision of timely and accurate meteorological services strives to harmonize human activities particularly developmental and social with weather and climate. • Coordination of National Efforts in Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation: LMS develops and implements national multisectoral strategies to adapt and to mitigate emerging climate changes. • Protection of the Atmospheric Environment over the Territory of Lesotho: LMS monitors the state of the atmospheric environment and the use of ozone depleting substances and implements national programme for their phase out. Lesotho Met Services Number of staff; • LMS operates with a staff complement of 65 permanent staff, 92 Volunteers (Meteorological Observers) and 19 Casual Labourers. Annual budget; • Recurrent budget for 2015/2016 is M8, 483 377 • The budget for 2014/2015 was M8,120 270 • The budget for 2013/2014 was M6,761 067 Activities • Nowcasting medium and long range forecasts, weekly weather briefs • Agromet bulletins (Dekadal) • Monthly weather summaries • Aviation services • Climate Services Users Ministry of Agriculture, Disaster Management Authority, Forestry and Land reclamation, Tourism, Water Affairs, Construction, WFP, UNDP, Red Cross, Lesotho Highlands Water Project, Tertiary Institutions, Media Lesotho Met Services The estimated costs of Met services, broken down; Budget Category Amount Salaries and Wages M4, 864 416.00 Transport M607 222.00 Operating Costs M 2 167 293.00 Lesotho Met Services • One sector where LMS makes a significant contribution to societal or economic benefits; Weather forecasting • One sector where LMS is weak; Information dissemination networks in relation to climate change. Products and services Products and services which we need funding; • Numerical weather prediction; Equipment and training • Provide regular weather reports; these will need more aws to be installed • Main funding sources for operations and capital equipment; Government Support from international donors Challenges • High staff turn over • Vandalism of observation equipment especially in remote areas • Old and dilapidated equipment. Most of the equipment has overrun its life durability and needs replacement. • Skewed observation network. Most of the stations are in the Lowlands due to the terrain of the country. The number and spatial distribution of stations is not sufficient to undertake a comprehensive weather and climate analysis as a result micro climates are not easily detected and categorized. • Low technical capacity. There are few professionally trained staff personnel. • Budgetary constraints • Limited transport facilities Thank You Kea Leboha