Project Description
Myanmar is highly vulnerable to climate change and weather-related hazards, particularly flooding. While the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH) provided national-level flood forecasts, there was a critical need to improve forecast resolution, hazard mapping, and communication of localized flood risks. Under Component 2 of the Ayeyarwady Integrated River Basin Management (AIRBM) Project, the Impact-Based Forecasting Pilots and Flood Hazard Mapping in the Chindwin and Central Ayeyarwady Basin project aimed to enhance local flood forecasting capacity and support effective disaster risk reduction.
Objectives, Activities, and Results
ICEM, in close coordination with DMH, piloted impact-based forecasting (IBF) systems in six towns along the Chindwin and Ayeyarwady Rivers. The project developed detailed flood hazard and vulnerability maps, conducted local impact assessments, and improved existing 1D-2D hydrological and hydraulic models. Tools were designed for real-time hydro-meteorological data assimilation, analysis, and reporting. Capacity-building workshops were delivered for DMH staff on flood modeling, GIS-based assessments, and IBF tools. The pilot supported DMH in transitioning from general forecasts to more actionable, localized early warnings, significantly strengthening Myanmar’s ability to anticipate and respond to flood events at the community level.
Links
Development of the Ayeyarwady Decision Support System and Basin Master Plan
