Newly appointed Vice President of Cambodia’s National Committee for Disaster Management endorses EWS 1294 as Cambodia’s National Early Warning System
Published: Dec 23, 2019 Reading time: 2 minutes
On November 4, His Excellency Kun Kim, Cambodia’s newly appointed Vice President of the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), met with Lukas Laube, Country Director for People in Need (PIN) Cambodia, to express his support for the Early Warning System 1294 (EWS 1294). This user-centered alert tool developed by PIN delivers advance warnings to people in areas prone to flooding. After having seen the potential for the program to save lives, Kim recognized EWS 1294 as the national early warning system for Cambodia. The meeting also served to reaffirm continued collaboration between PIN and NCDM.
During the meeting, HE Kun Kim, who pledged his commitment to alleviating suffering from natural disasters across the kingdom during his appointment ceremony earlier this year, expressed his intent to support the EWS 1294 until the system is handed over in 2021. “Thank you for your work, we will continue to support EWS 1294 in whatever way we possibly can,” said Kim. He noted that he has been greatly impressed by PIN’s use of modern technology for early warning systems and sees it as the way forward for Cambodia.
Milestone in cooperation
Laube used the opportunity to express his gratitude for the support that NCDM has provided to the implementation of EWS 1294 throughout the country: “This is yet another milestone for our journey together. It is a great sign of partnership and I hope our commitment to future collaboration will continue to give hope to people living in flood-prone areas of Cambodia.”
Laube also highlighted the importance of NCDM’s role in EWS 1294, noting that “NCDM is the voice of the system.” In essence, NCDM and the Provincial Committees for Disaster Management send voice-based alerts and instructions to registered users when flood waters reach dangerous levels. Finally, Laube emphasized the importance of data sharing, and encouraged NCDM to work closely with the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology on potential hazard and risk forecasting.
The meeting concluded with a discussion of the importance of young people in making this system viable.
“Nowadays, the youth are smart and well-educated. They are the channel that connects elders in the communities to the system. They are the force to be reckoned with,” concluded Kim.
