Accurate weather report can prevent air crash, says NIMET boss
Posted by: Kelvin Osa-Okunbor in Aviation March 25, 2014
Air crashes can be prevented through accurate weather report, Director-General of the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) Dr Anthony Anuforum, has said.
Besides, the installation of critical safety weather detecting equipment, including low level wind shear alerting system at airports, can also help to prevent air mishaps, he said.
Towards this end, the agency has installed nine low level wind shear alerting system at the Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, Enugu , Ilorin, Benin and Akure airports. Anuforom said NIMET has concluded plans to install similar gadgets at the Calabar Airport, which will bring to 10 the number of airports where the technology is in use.
On the cost of equipment installed at the airports, he said: “It is difficult to give these numbers off-hand so I don’t misinform anybody. What is important is that government is supporting us financially. I give you an idea, One typical wind shear alert information system costs anywhere between N150 and N180 million each. That gives you an idea of the kind of investment that is required.
“I don’t want to talk about the Doppler weather radar. It is a sophisticated piece of equipment. So it costs quite some money. That I can tell you, but I cannot give you now the total figure that we have invested.
He said the installation of the equipment became imperative because low level wind shear contributed to the Sosoliso and ADC Airlines crashes in 2005 and 2006.
His said: “These were crashes in the recent times that wind shear had been identified as having a finger print in it. So since then, and based on recommendations from the Accident Investigation and Prevent Bureau (AIPB), government swung into action to provide funding to now equip more Nigerian airports with Low Level Wind Shear alert system.
“Prior to that ADC crash in 2006, there was no single wind shear alert system in any Nigerian airport. That is the truth. But after that and based on the recommendation of AIPB, the first wind shear alert system was installed at the Abuja airport. It was also part of the Safe Tower Project.
“Wind shear alert system is not a chep technology. It costs quite some money to install one, and of course, we had budgetary constraints. But the happy news is that presently, we have equipped nine airports in Nigeria with wind shear alert system. The tenth wind shear alert system is being installed at the Calabar Airport. The contractor is on site doing the installation.”
NIMET could perform its role better as a weather forecasting agency if government provides more funding to support its operations beyond the revenue it generates.
Anuforom said: “We cannot continue to go to government for money because the resources are getting thinner and thinner.
“So part of what we are doing is that we are working towards greater sustainability, greater self-reliance; not that you can dispense of government completely.
“There is nowhere in the world, even in the UK, government still gives the meteorology agency some funding. They also work hard to generate their own funding.”
He said NIMET plans to increase its revenue base through development of a new business model.
Anuforom said :” Talking about revenue, we are targeting non aeronautical sources now. The maritime sector, can you imagine the number of ships that come in and out of Nigerian ports and the tonnage .
They need our weather information. So part of what we are doing in our new realignment is to develop commercial quality meteorological weather forecast both aeronautical and maritime sector.
“We are doing that. We have recently entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Administration Agency (NIMASA).
“We have also signed impact plan and realignment and gone into collaboration with the UK Met Office. The UK Met Office is a good example of a well-developed, modern meteorological service provider.
When we studied their business model it was clear to us that that was a good advanced met office to copy, to emulate because their business model is that they have succeeded in reducing over dependence on government and we want over time to be able to diversify our services to an extent that our dependence for funding will be drastically reduced.”
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