High-grade rain gauge installed in Telecommunication cell sites

The Philippine Disaster Recovery foundation (PDRF) headed by PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan has agreed to install PAGASA’s high grade rain gauge inside the cell site of Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART) to monitor the amount of rainfall ad give reliable and timely warning. This is also to give better preparation against the massive flooding like the one experience during Typhoon Ondoy.

Philippines would the first in Asia to install rain gauges in cell sites. This is possible since PAGASA is getting support from the private sector and the other two big telecommunication companies. On March 22, a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between PAGASA, Smart, Globe and Sun was signed to allow the co-location of rain gauges in the cell sites. The benefits of having the rain gauge installed inside the cell sites is continuous power source that it provides as well as real time data transfer to PAGASA using SMS (short message service).

The Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has given a grant for the rain gauge. A rain gauge cost about Php500000. Chief of PAGASA’s Hydrometeorological Division, Dr. Susan Espinueva, said that about 15 to 20 rain gauge station would be installed within the year. The rain gauge would be strategically installed in areas were the expected volume of flood waters is high. A rain gauge has already been installed in Pasig-Marikina basin where massive flooding was experience last year when typhoon Ondoy struck the country. Last year, the amount of rainfall dumped by Ondoy in about six hours is equal to month’s worth of rainfall. These project is aim to be better prepare the country in case a storm of that magnitude happens to hit the Philippines again.