On wednesday, Cambodian Minister of Water Resources and Meteorology H.E. Thor Chetha met with a French delegation led by Mr. Robert Bousquet, President of Sterela-Meteo, and Mr. Patrick Benichou, President of Meteo France International.
In the courtesy meeting, H.E. Thor Chetha provided his guests with an overview of the ministry’s key role in promoting information and managing water resources data effectively and efficiently. This is done in order to prevent and reduce damage to agricultural productivity, rural infrastructure and people’s properties due to natural disasters.
Furthermore, the Minister informed the French delegation of the construction project of the National Water Resources Data Management Centre (NWRDMC), which has received substantial backing from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). The NWRDMC will be responsible for the management, collection, storage, analysis and dissemination of information related to rainfall, hydrological and meteorological data, ensuring effective information management and provision.
The NWRDMC will provide Cambodia with autonomy in the management, forecasting and analysis of hydrological and meteorological data for inter-sectors and as part of a specific and comprehensive strategy of the ministry in modernising water infrastructure to be more resilient to climate change.
The French delegation expressed their gratitude to H.E. Minister for the warm welcome and provided an overview of their respective companies’ operations.
Sterela-Meteo is a leading company specialising in the design and construction of high-performance automatic weather stations, while Meteo France International is a global provider of services and training to meteorologists and hydrologists.