RBC Daily: “Putin addresses weather forecasting”
The prime minister said weather forecasts must be more reliable
The frequency of adverse weather conditions is increasing 6%-8% from year to year, with economic damages for Russia estimated at 40 to 60 billion roubles annually.
Yesterday Vladimir Putin discussed the possibility of more operative prediction of natural disasters and ways to minimise losses. He also found that eight Russian regions had failed to learn anything from last year's lessons as evidenced by their lack of preparations for the wildfire season.
His trip to Valdai began with a visit to a local weather station equipped with the latest Doppler radar system made in Russia. It is only a prototype, but 140 such radar units will be built over the next five years. The area covered by the system will account for 90% of Russia's population.
"The United States is using a system like this," Putin said. "Particularly pleasing is that this system will be based on Russian-made equipment and produced solely by Russian companies, and I hope that it will prove efficient."
Each of these radar units, together with its weather station, will cost 90 million roubles. The system has the ability to monitor clouds and identify precipitation (that is, distinguish between snow and ice rain) and its intensity, said head of the Meteorological Office Roman Vilfand.
Weather is a much discussed subject in Russia, Putin said.
"When we meet with friends, we almost always talk about the weather. Not because there's nothing else to talk about, but because it concerns everyone. We need to know what the weather will be like not only to decide what to wear but because it might have a serious impact on our mood and sometimes even our health, life, and wellbeing," the prime minister said.
According to the Russian Regional Development Bank, natural disasters cost the Russian economy an estimated 40 to 60 billion roubles annually in damage.
"The most weather-dependent industries are aviation, marine transport, the energy sector and agriculture," said Alexander Frolov, head of the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring. According to Frolov, Russians are duly warned of nine out of ten natural disasters.
Weather forecasts will soon become even more reliable, Frolov said. A weather warning system created jointly with the West has been tested in Sochi. This type of system will be installed in the North Caucasus and the Moscow Region.
"The grid will be denser," the chief weatherman said.
"What does this mean?" Putin asked. "Please, explain what you said for those who aren't familiar. Does this mean that weather forecasting in the Caucasus and central Russia will be more reliable?"
"Definitely so," Frolov replied. "We tested the system during the European Cup in Sochi."
Putin asked if the system would also be used in other Russian regions.
"We must also consider the Far East, where the tectonic plates keep shifting," he said. "Just look at the earthquakes in Japan."
The chief weatherman assured the prime minister that these innovative systems would be installed across Russia, including in the Far East.
"Statistics show that the frequency of natural disasters is increasing," Putin said. "Sometimes I tend to think that it is because we have become better informed – because more information has become available to us, but that is not so. According to the statistics, the frequency of adverse weather conditions grows by 6%-8% annually."
A total of 972 natural anomalies were registered in Russia last year, half of them doing great economic damage. Last summer's heat wave cost the federal budget at least 41 billion roubles, another 11 billion roubles were allocated to build housing for the victims of the wild fires and 50 billion to purchase fire fighting equipment.
The prime minister was told at the meeting that eight Russian regions have not prepared for wildfire season. They are short of special equipment, Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
"Last year's tragedies forced us to undertake stern measures," Putin said addressing the governors. "I would like to warn you: this is not about threats, but you are grown-up, responsible people who have been working in the field for many years. There are things that the government and the community cannot tolerate."
Shoigu promised to have the data for the entire country by April 15.
Inga Vorobyova
