The 15th session of the South Asian Seasonal Climate Outlook Forum (SASCOF-15), which will prepare a climate forecast outlook for rainfall and temperature for the October-December northeast monsoon season over south Asia, opened here on Monday.
The outlook would be jointly prepared by the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) of SASCOF member countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka — as well as several regional and global experts, IMD said.
Five-day session
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan would inaugurate and address the main session at Hotel Hycinth on Wednesday and release the forecast outlook.
The five-day session which would go on till Friday, would “review requirements for climate monitoring and seasonal forecast products and make suggestions for regular conduct of winter SASCOF forums,” IMD said.
Agriculture, irrigation
According to the IMD, the focus would be on agriculture and irrigation sectors during the current SASCOF session as northeast monsoon rainfall plays a crucial role in the productivity of irrigation-based agriculture sectors in South Asia.
The technical sessions of SASCOF-15, being held over the first three days, are user-oriented with thrust on sharing, understanding and interpreting seasonal climate outlook.
SASCOF-15 also features Climate Services User Forum (CSUF) on the water sector, which brings together experts on seasonal predictions and users from agriculture and irrigation departments of south Asian nations.
Platform
It creates a platform for understanding and effectively using seasonal climate information for managing climate risks in the region.
“The session will recommend further needs of the sector in terms of customised products and tools to support decision making,” IMD said. The conference is organised jointly by the IMD, Ministry of Earth Sciences, UK Met Office, Regional Integrated Multi-hazard Early Warning System for Asia and Africa (RIMES), and World Meteorological Organisation.