VIENTIANE: People in Laos, particularly communities living downstream, will be able to prepare for and adapt to climate change—especially floods—after the Lao Telecommunication Public Company and People in Need (PIN) in the Lao PDR announced plans to deploy an early warning system.
Last Friday (July 3), the two parties signed a cooperation agreement on the rollout of the Early Warning System for All (EW4ALL) via short message service (SMS) and interactive voice response (IVR) under the project “Deploying the Early Warning System Network in Laos (Strengthening Flood Response in the Lower Mekong Region)”.
This collaboration is an important milestone in expanding the early warning system to cover nine provinces and 33 high-risk target districts.
The agreement was signed by the Deputy General Director of Lao Telecommunication Public Company, Alounnadeth Barnchit, and the Head of Programmes of People in Need (PIN) Laos, Tomas Durana.
The signing was witnessed by the Head of Cabinet of the Ministry of Technology and Communications, Phouangpaseuth Keosouvanh; Director General of the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Virasack Chundara; Lao Telecommunication Public Company Director General, Souphol Chanthavixay; Head of Climate Change and Natural Resources Management at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Switzerland, Björn Schranz; and Head of Asia Pacific from the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), Gorman Julian.
Executive boards from both ministries, representatives from the United Nations in the Lao PDR (United Nations and Unicef), and other stakeholders from both sides also attended the signing ceremony.
According to Lao Telecommunication Public Company, the purpose of the collaboration is to highlight the importance of partnership between the public, international and private sectors in enhancing awareness and preparedness for timely natural disaster response, as well as expanding the dissemination of early warning information.
Additionally, the initiative aims to help downstream communities prepare for and adapt to climate change, particularly floods, which directly affect communities, livelihoods and infrastructure across the country.
By warning people to prepare for evacuation before a flood occurs, the project leverages innovative digital technologies, capacity development, and collaboration with stakeholders such as the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.
Financed by development partners SDC, GSMA and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the project will help to reduce the loss of life and property caused by floods.
Therefore, People in Need (PIN) in the Lao PDR, in collaboration with the Lao Telecommunication Public Company, has implemented the Early Warning System for ALL through short message service (SMS) and interactive voice response (IVR), which will strengthen the dissemination of national warning information to vulnerable communities in a faster, more reliable, and more accessible way. - Vientiane Times/ANN
