PDM – Lao PDR
Xebangfai and Xebanghieng River Basins, andFlood-Plain Area along Mekong River bank.
Bounteum SYSOUPHANTHAVONG
Deputy Head of Weather Forecasting and Aeronautical Division
Department of Meteorology and Hydrology of Lao PDR
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE)
E-mail: s.bounteum@hotmail.com

The GEOSS Joint Asia-Africa Water Cycle
Symposium.
Tokyo, Japan. 25 – 27 Nov 2013

Contents
 Background Project purpose Project outputs
 Strategy how to achieve each the specifiedoutputs
 Activities and Potential collaborators-International

projects

Background Lao PDR is a landlocked country, which located in

the Southeast Asia between latitude 14 and 23
degree north, and longitude 100 and 108 degreeeast The Country covers an area of 236,800 squarekilometers.
 Lao PDR is also lying along middle part of theMekong, which is the twelfth longest river in theworld. It flows through Lao territory from North to
the South almost 1,860 Kilometers and forms oneof the mightiest river systems of the region
 Due to territory of Lao PDR approximately 70%

comprises of mountains and plateaus
 The topography of Lao with combination between

mountains and plateaus is form almost 202,000
square kilometers watershed and catchment areas,
which are more than 35%, contribute of the wholeLower Mekong Basin runoff These geographical features with combination of

the storm and monsoon that bring the flood
hazards to properties also lives of the people living

Natural Disaster in Lao PDR
 In Lao PDR droughts andfloods are the mostcommon natural disasters.
 Floods have the greatest
macro-economic impact on
the country and affect agreater number of people,
as the areas affected are
the primary locations of
economic activity andcontain 63% of the country
population.
 Floods mostly affected
central and southern
provinces of the country.
27 major floods haveoccurred over the past 35
years with an averagereoccurrence of one every
1.5 years

Project Purpose
 Goals: Reduction of natural disasterby using meteorological andhydrological forecasts and early
warning system in Lao PDR.
 Project Purpose The Govt of Lao PDR efforts instrengthening the meteorological andhydrological observation networks
over the central and southern parts.
 In order to improve the atmosphericcomprehensive observation system inthese areas and to enhance theprediction of weather, meteorologicaland hydrological disaster.
 It is urgent need improving themeteorological and hydrologicalforecast and early warning system inthese areas.

There are urgent needs in the following
river basins and flood-plain areas:
Xebangfai River Basin

Xebanghieng RiverBasinProject output
 Climate change makes the venerable situations

more critical, to address these issues, we need to:
1. Demonstrate quantitative and qualitative

2.
3.
4.
5.

improvement of weather and water cycleobservations.
Demonstrate flood and drought early warningcapability.
Assess climate change impacts on floods, droughts
and water-nexus.
Prototype data and information and sharing systems.
Improve observational, modeling and application
capacity.

Strategy how to achieve theoutput(1) Prototype

near-realtime
meteorologicalandhydrological observation and data dissemination
systems by coupling in-situ measurements which isused as inputs into weather and flood predictions.
(2) Develop comprehensive in-situ observation data
achieve for improving monitoring capability of weather
and water cycle, and developing meteorological andhydrological models to be used for early warning.
(3) Develop
long-term and comprehensive climate
observation data achieve which is used for climatechange analysis, climate prediction model bias
correction.
(4) Develop hydrological models for forecasting and converting

meteorological data to hydrological information.
(5) Prototype real-time data management, modelinginformation dissemination systems.

and

6)

Select GCMs which can express the regional climate
properly.

7) Implement

bias correction and downscaling(statistical- and dynamic-) of the selected GCMs.
8) Develop socio-economic data archive9) Compare changes of frequency and intensity of flood,drought and water-nexus.
10) Develop an integrated weather and water portal for
improving data accessibility and data sharing.
11) Prototype a data integration and analysis andinformation dissemination
12) Develop training modules of satellite remote sensing,modeling, bias correction and downscaling, makedesign of training courses on integrated observations,early warning and climate change assessment, andoffer the courses.
13) Promote secondment educational programs incollaboration with universities.

Activities and Potential collaboratorsInternational projects• Lead Organizations:• Xebangfai and Xebanghieng River Basins andFlood-Plain over Mekong River bank insouthern part: MONRE (DMH, DDMCC)• In addition to the Lead Organizations’ capacity

which has been developed, we will take following
actions in collaboration with the organizations
and projects as follows:Transmitting rain gauge data to the Lead
Organization Data Facility and sharing the data byInternet for producing bias-corrected satellite-based
rainfall map to be disseminated to wide communities:
WMO/HyCOS, ESA, NASA, NOAA, JAXA, DIAS2. In-situ and satellite observation data archive:
WMO/HyCOS, UNEP/GMES, UNESCO/G-WADI,
UNESC-WMO/IGRAC, Tiger heritage, ODA projectheritage, AMMA, Reanalysis (ECMWF, NCEP, JMA),
ESA, NASA, NOAA, JAXA, CEOS Water Portal,
GEOWOW, NASA-SERVIR, DIAS
3. Climate data archive at least past 20 years whichcorrespond to the availability of the GCM model
outputs: WMO/HyCOS, Reanalysis (ECMWF, NCEP,JMA), ESA, NASA, NOAA, JAXA, CEOS Water
Portal, GEOWOW, NASA-SERVIR, DIAS
4. Develop distributed physically-based hydrologicalmodels including simulation ability of1.

5.

Prototype real-time data integration systems forsatellite data bias correction, hydrological modelingincluding data assimilation and information
dissemination: ACMAD, ECMWF, National Weather
Services, GEOWOW, NASA-SERVIR, UNESCO-IFI,
UNESCO-Princeton Univ., DIAS

6.

Selection of GCMs which can express the regional
climate: PCMDI, DIAS, science communities

Bias correction and downscaling: PCMDI, CORDEX,DIAS, science communities
8. Socio-economic data archive: GLOWASIS
7.

9.

Assessment of the changes of flood, drought andwater-nexus: GLOWASIS, CORDEX, DIAS, science
communities10. Develop an integrated weather and water portal for

improving data accessibility and data sharing: CEOS
Water Portal, GEOWOW, NASA-SERVIR, DIAS
11. Prototype a data integration and analysis andinformation dissemination system: CEOS Water
Portal, GEOWOW, NASA-SERVIR, DIAS
12. Develop training modules and design and implement

training courses : Tiger, UNESCO, NASA-SERVIR,RCMRD, ITC, UNU, UTokyo,
13. Promote secondment educational program incollaboration with universities: ITC, UNU, UTokyo

Thank you very much!