The Guyana Hydrometeorological Service says it has several plans for institutional strengthening and modernisation, including meeting international standards with regard to the use of ozone depleting substances, as it observes its 47th anniversary.
According to a press release, the Hydrometeorological Service started collecting rainfall data in the 1800s with support from Crown services, and in the 20th century data collected by ministries, sugar estates and private citizens were recorded and added.
Over time, meteorology services directed by the Ministry of Communication and Hydrology Services was put under the auspices of the Ministry of Works and Hydraulics. Subsequent to this, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) proposed that William Peterson, an expert from the World Meteorological Office, develop a plan to integrate the services of both meteorology and hydrology.
On October 5, 1965, after consultations with officials from the Ministry of Communication, Ministry of Forests, Lands and Mines, Ministry of Works and Hydraulics, Booker Tate Estates, Demerara Bauxite and other stakeholders, approval was granted at the 50 meeting of Cabinet to establish a central Hydrometeorological Service within the Ministry of Works and Hydraulics.
The office was housed at Fort Street, Kingston from 1965 to 1991 when it was transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture with Ken Potter serving as its first appointed Chief Hydrometeorological Officer. Under his tenure the office rapidly developed into a dynamic and well-coordinated entity whose personnel exhibited a high level of professionalism. The new department’s mandate was to monitor and evaluate weather and water resources in Guyana.
In the early 1970s, its responsibilities would diversify to include aeronautical forecasting and later, agriculture meteorology, hydrological engineering and other aspects related to the sustainable economic development of the country. In 1971, the department’s first weather radar was installed at Timehri, which functioned until the late 1980s.
Then, in December 2003, Cariforum and Guyana signed an MoU for the installation of the Dopplar Weather Radar which was commissioned on October 5, 2009. The project was funded by the European Union and the Guyana Government which contributed about $100,000,000 and was implemented by the Caribbean Meteorological Organization in Trinidad. “Undoubtedly, the support, financial and otherwise, given by the GOG reflects the ongoing efforts as a government being made to address weather and climate issues,” the release said.
Since that time the department has achieved several goals such as the phasing out the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) on January 1, 2008, a full two years before the actual phase-out date. It also enacted an Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) regulation under the Trade Act in 2007 which controls the importation of ozone depleting substances which contribute significantly to global warming. There was also a revision of the curriculum of technical schools to include ozone issues as well as to meet required standards under the Caricom Vocational Qualification.
Since its establishment the Hydrometeorological Services of Guyana has made significant progress. However, as it looks towards its 50th anniversary in 2015, plans are in train to ensure that Hydromet National Weather Watch Service at Timehri complies with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and WMO Quality Management standards. This will entail obtaining International Organization Standardization (IOS) within the next two years, which is crucial to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport at Timehri attaining qualification as a higher grade port. There are also plans to continue the enforcement of Trade Order Regulations as it relates to ozone depleting substances, enforce responsibilities under the Water and Sewerage Act of 2002 and to continue to expand networks of automated Hydrometeorological stations
