The Meteorological Services Department now has now been equipped with ultra-modern weather observing machinery, including automatic weather stations and radars, as Government bolsters the country's early warning systems.
Speaking at the opening of the 29th Southern Africa Regional Climate Outlook Forum (SACORF) in Harare yesterday, Environment, Climate and Wildlife Minister Sithembiso Nyoni said the forum aimed at coming up with weather and climate projections, share best practices and present them to different sectors.
The event ran under the theme "At the frontline of climate action towards improved climate services in the SADC region".
Minister Nyoni said: "The Southern African Regional Climate Outlook Forum (SARCOF) and the climate experts' meeting represent pivotal moments for collaboration and knowledge-sharing among our nations in the region.
"These platforms allow us to collectively learn from each other, come up with weather and climate projections, share best practices and present these to the different sectors."
She said the negative effects of the El Niño weather phenomenon made it imperative to embrace finer and more accurate weather forecasts.
"The effects of climate variability and change is a major concern for us as SADC member states. We have witnessed first-hand the devastating effects of the extreme weather events, erratic rainfall patterns and prolonged droughts. These threaten our ecosystems, food security and socio-economic stability. It is incumbent upon us to enhance our capacity in terms of coming up with more accurate and finer forecasts. These should include more parameters such as start of season, end of season and expected cumulative dry days or dry spells, as we call them in Zimbabwe.
"Our countries will be able to respond with determination and foresight using the scientific information provided by our national meteorological and hydrological services," she said.
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Minister Nyoni said the Heads of State and Government emphasised the need to continue monitoring weather and climate risks, including the forecast La Niña event and develop contingency measures to integrate the impact of disasters.
"This shows that your work is recognised by all the governments of the region," she said.
Minister Nyoni urged member states to include women and children in climate change issues.
