Chinese Ministry of Ecology and the Environment donates 25 meteorological early warning detectors to Pakistan Meteorological Department in 2023

Project narrative

On September 6, 2023, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China signed an MoU with Pakistan entitled "‘Provision of Goods Under South-South Cooperation for Addressing Climate Change." Under the MoU, China would support Pakistan's efforts on climate change through the provision of goods and technical support (see record ID #107293 for further information). Then, on September 23, 2023, the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IEECAS) signed an MoU with the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). Under the MoU, IEECAS would support Pakistan through the provision of Integrated Cloud-based Early Warning Systems to improve Pakistan’s lightning detection capabilities. The MoU was signed in Beijing by Sahibzad Khan, Director General of PMD, and Dr. Yaohua Li, Director of IEECAS. On November 30, 2024, IEECAS handed over 25 early warning detectors worth US$1,000,000 to Pakistan. The meteorological detectors were to establish a very low frequency (VLF/VF) lightning network. The primary aim is to enhance the lightning warning capabilities of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) to prevent human and livestock deaths.