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National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology

Hydromet Services and DIsaster Resilience Regional Project (HSDRRP)

The Hydromet Services and Disaster Resilience Regional Project (HSDRRP) is project executed by RGoB for an amount of US $ 3.8 Million. The grant agreement was signed on 16 th Spetember 2016 between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the World Bank. The Department of the Disaster Management is the main coordinating agency. The project seeks to strengthen the Royal Government of Bhutan's (RGOB) capacity to improve national and district level capacity for disaster preparedness and response and provide weather and hydrological forecasting services including delivery in priority sectors and disaster related early warning systems. The project has three components (A, B & C) implemented by three different agencies namely: National Center for  ydrology and Meteorology (NCHM), Department of Disaster Management (DDM) and Department of Agriculture (DoA).
Component A: Hydromet Services Development (US$ 1.60 million). The main  objective of this component is to strengthen the capacity of DHMS to improve hydromet monitoring, forecasting and service delivery to priority sectors. It will be implemented by DHMS and have two sub-components as follows:
Sub-Component A1: Strengthening forecasting and services (US$ 0.89 million).
This sub-component will fund improvements in monitoring, forecasting, ICT, hardware and software to improve DHMS’s services.
Sub-Component A2: Institutional Capacity Strengthening, Project Management,
Regional Collaboration and Monitoring and Evaluation (US$ 0.21 million).
This sub-
component will support training, capacity strengthening, project management including M&E activities. Funds will also be used for regional consultations and collaboration.
Status of Project activities implemented under NCHM
1. Procurement of meteorological Observation systems to support civil aviation automatic weather observation system (AWOS) ceilometer & wind profiler (supply, delivery, installation and commissioning).
The installation of automatic weather observation system (AWOS), ceilometer & windprofiler at Paro International Airport and one ceilometer at Bumthang Domestic airport is completed in November 2018 and operational. The installed system will enhance the aviation safety at the PIA and Bumthang Domestic Airport.

2. Develop a Common Operating Platform for automated hydro-met services delivery (Set up SMART-Met System)
The HSDRRP project supported the HR capacity development for the operation of the SMART-Met system. The International firm, the Finish Meteorological Institute(FMI) was selected to develop the system. The capacity development training for the operational staffs are completed and the system is operational. The SMART-Met system supports weather forecasting capability and automated generation of information products and services delivery in timely.
Component B: Disaster Preparedness and Response Capacity Improvement (US$ 2.00 million). The main objective of this component is to strengthen capacity for disaster
preparedness and response. It will be implemented by DDM. It will have two sub-components as follows:
Sub-component B1: Establishment of critical emergency infrastructure (US$ 1.41
million)
This sub-component will fund the establishment of an NEOC through the design, build and equip phase, emergency communication equipment for all 20 District Disaster Management Offices and support establishment of critical infrastructure such as fueling stations and helipads for emergency helicopter operation.
Sub-component B2: Institutional Capacity Strengthening, Regional Collaboration,
Project Management and M&E (US$ 0.59 million).
This sub-component will fund establishment of a DRM geometrics system within DDM, training and capacity building, regional collaboration, project management, monitoring and evaluation.

Component C: Design of an agromet decision support system (US$ 0.2 million). This component will fund the design of an agromet decision support system, development and delivery of agromet information products in two Dzongkhags, training and capacity building. It will be implemented by the DOA.