Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (RIMES) : Role in Disaster Management

Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (RIMES) : Role in Disaster Management

Question: RIMES/Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems has an important role to play in multi-hazard and climate risk management. Discuss.

- Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (RIMES) was formed on 30th April 2009

- Around 5 nations signed the cooperation agreement on RIMES in consonance with A5 and 25 of the UN

- RIMES secretariat is located at the Maldives Republic at the Maldives Met Services, Ministry of Environment and Transport in Male.

- RIMES Programme Unit and Regional Facility are located in Asian Institute of Technology Campus in Pathumthani close to Bangkok

- RIMES stresses on early warning systems for disaster management

- The Chairman of RIMES Executive Council is India

- Recently, the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts in the UK has signed an MoU with RIMES for construction of country specific Early Warning Systems

RIMES has 12 member states and 19 collaborating nations. The member states are as follows:

- Cambodia,

- Comoros,

- India,

- Lao PDR,

- Maldives,

- Mongolia,

- Papua New Guinea,

- Philippines,

- Seychelles,

- Sri Lanka

- Timor-Leste

- Bangladesh

- The primary focus of RIMES is joint effort building for enhancing capacity of national to local level institutions on various aspects of end to end early warning

Areas of Collaboration

- RIMES coordinated with NCMRWF to provide global outputs and high performance computing resources for member states

- INCOIS Hyderabad has collaborated for offering customised high resolution ocean state forecast products through RIMES to member states for marine forecasting apps

- Ministry of Earth Sciences has supported expansion of targeted effort under the RIMES umbrella towards education, research, communication and application of proven science and tech knowledge.

- Strategic investments of human as well as capital in matters pertaining to hazards is also stressed by RIMES

RIMES Projects

- Crustal Deformation Measurement and Seismicity Monitoring across the Indo-Southeast Asian Region (Implemented in Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal)

- Development and Implementation of User Relevant End-to-End Flood Forecast Generation for Myanmar (Implemented in Myanmar)

- Technical Assistance for Development of Flood Forecast Generation and Application System for Disaster Mitigation in Nepal(Implemented in Nepal)

- Development and Implementation of User-Relevant End-to-End Hydrological Forecast Generation and Application System for Disaster Mitigation in Philippines (Implemented in Philippines)

- Development and Implementation of an Integrated Ocean Information System for the Indian Ocean Countries

RIMES provides the following services:

- Improving data availability for enhancing forecasts and warnings.

- Establishment and maintenance of core regional observing and monitoring networks.

- Provision of country level tsunami watch and coastal inundation forecasts from the INCOIS guidance for the member countries.

- Support to NMHSs in the provision of localised ocean information products from the INCOIS products

- Support to NMHSs in provision of location-specific hydro-meteorological warning information by utilising ESSO-NCMRWF forecast products

- Capacity building on end-to-end warning at all levels.

Facts and Stats

- RIMES provides for early end to end warning services from observation to monitoring station support, regional data management and tool development to capacity building of domestic and local institutions for last mile issue resolution

- Capacity building of communities for timely forecast and warnings to member states is indicated

- RIMES also supports R&D for developing low cost, efficient technologies

- This organisation is also developing decision support systems for sectoral application in several Asian cities through 3 to 10 day forecasts for assessing the impact and issues pertaining to animal husbandry, agriculture, public health, energy and water resources sector