Ashgabat hosted the regular session of the Coordination Committee on hydrometeorology and the Caspian Sea pollution control (CASPCOM).The delegations of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan, as well as the representatives of a number of international organizations took part in the meeting, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Committee on Hydrometeorology under the Cabinet of Ministers and the State Enterprise on the Caspian Sea under the President of Turkmenistan.
The two-day meeting held in the conference hall of the Archabil Hotel focused on the results of the work of CASPCOM and the national hydrometeorology services in 2017-2018, as well as the progress of the implementation of the Intergovernmental Integrated Programme on Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea till 2023, strengthening the ties with the international organizations, etc.
As is known, the main goal of CASPCOM activity is to establish and develop the regional system for obtaining hydrometeorological information on the state of the Caspian Sea and exchange the information in order to ensure the safety of navigation and other activities in the offshore and onshore areas.
According to the organization’s charter, every two years one of the Caspian littoral states chairs the Committee.Chairing the Coordination Committee on hydrometeorology and the Caspian Sea pollution control in 2013-2014, Turkmenistan actively participated in drafting the intergovernmental Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Hydrometeorology of the Caspian States that was signed in Astrakhan within the framework of the 4th Caspian Summit in 2014, where the Turkmen leader put forward a number of proposals for the development of partnership in the Caspian Sea.
Among the partners of CASPCOM are the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, the Secretariat of the Framework Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea, etc.
The meeting participants highly evaluated the activities of CASPCOM and the achievements of the Caspian littoral states in the field of hydrometeorology and monitoring of the Caspian Sea.In particular, the reports presented during the session analyzed the status and prospects of the work on the development of the observation systems, the collection, storage and dissemination of meteorological and hydrological information taken place at the national level.
Thus, the network of modern hydro meteorological stations and posts operates in the system of the National Committee on Hydrometeorology under the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan.Among them are the automatic sea stations “Turkmenbashi”, “Garabogaz”, “Hazar”, “Guvlymayak”, “Ogurdzhaly”, etc.
installed in the Caspian region.In particular, the high-tech sea sounding systems WERA (Germany) are used to monitor the waves, sea surface, currents and wind direction.Marine radars allow getting the most reliable data even in extreme weather conditions, providing all necessary information to seaports, search and rescue services, scientific and environmental organizations, enterprises of the tourism industry, oil and gas and fish industries, etc.
In addition, a radiosonde station and meteorological radar that are used to address the specific problems, such as forecasts for aviation or hydrology, are installed in the city of Turkmenbashi.
All data received from the measurement and observation stations is collected and processed in the new building of Turkmenhydromet, erected in Ashgabat.The meeting participants discussed the proposals on the development of indicators for the implementation of medium-term tasks identified in the Integrated Programme on Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea till 2023, which includes the Strategy and Mission of the Coordination Committee on Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea, the annual plans for the national and joint work.
On the outcomes of the meeting, the recommendations were drafted and the relevant documents were signed with the aim to further improve the work of the Coordination Committee on hydrometeorology and the Caspian Sea pollution control.