Tanzania's weather agency plans to increase forecast radars for enhanced efficiency

DAR ES SALAAM, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA) said on Saturday that plans were afoot to increase the number of weather forecast radars to enhance efficiency in three regions of the country.

Agnes Kijazi, TMA Director General, said the weather forecast radars will be installed in Mtwara, Mbeya and Kigoma regions.

Speaking to weather stakeholders in marine transport in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam, Kijazi said until now the agency has installed two weather forecast radars in Dar es Salaam and Mwanza regions.

The move will help strengthen and provide quality services that will help with weather forecast and various sectors, including the blue sectors of the economy such as oceans and great lakes like Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyasa, said Kijazi.

She added that TMA was providing its services to users of the Indian Ocean including research on weather forecast for fishermen, marine transporters and giving precautions on strong winds and rough sea waves to minimize effects that might occur.

Kizaji said natural disasters were unavoidable, but, she added, information was important to reach the targeted group before a disaster occurred.

"Such information helped the relevant users, disaster management institutions and the government to get prepared for the effects that could occur," she said.