KATHMANDU, Jan 11: Ncell in collaboration with the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) has further strengthened the communication for the Early Warning System (EWS) by expanding the coverage in both hydrological and meteorological disasters. On Wednesday, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed to this effect.

According to a statement issued by the company, Ncell and DHM have joined hands to work together to disseminate early warning alerts to the public covering 13 disasters triggered by hydrological and meteorological hazards. This includes the alerts for floods, flash floods, rainfall, thunderstorms, wind gusts, landslides, avalanches, snowfall, heatwaves, cold weathers, forest fires, air pollution and tornados.

Jabbor Kayumov, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) of Ncell, and Dr Jagadishwor Karmacharya, Director General of DHM, exchanged the MoU on Wednesday amidst a program organized at Ncell’s corporate office Ncell ICON located in Lainchaur, Kathmandu.

Sharing his excitement, Dr Karmacharya, Director General of DHM said, “We are extremely thankful to Ncell for pioneering the Flood Early Warning System initiative in Nepal since 2016. Disseminating alerts in the event of impending disasters has proven to be a lifesaver for the survivors. This joint initiative is indeed a great example of grassroots-to-global action of putting the furthest-behind-first as envisioned in the recent UN’s ‘Early Warning for All’ initiative. This MoU is yet another milestone with the coverage of 10 additional meteorological hazards. With the support from Ncell and related stakeholders, we have been able to connect with the most vulnerable communities, and thousands of lives have been saved over the years. Despite increasing flood hazards due to climate change in recent years, the mortality rate due to floods has reduced significantly in Nepal since 2018 due to the collective efforts of all stakeholders and we wholeheartedly appreciate their efforts including Ncell.”

Early warning SMS alerts ensure that people get pre-informed about the risk and move to safe locations with their belongings, while organizations involved in disaster response and preparedness get time to act on time. Since 2016 Ncell has been disseminating flood early warning SMS alerts to people living in flood-prone areas, contributing to saving lives and properties from monsoon floods each year. In 2023 alone, the company disseminated over 9 million SMS alerts, pre-informing people from flood risk areas.

 
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