BEIJING: As Pakistan is heavily hit by the rare flood, the country is stepping up cooperation with Chinese meteorological companies.

“Currently, we are working on the provision of automatic weather stations (AWS) and technologies. If conditions permit, we are also looking to building meteorological labs with our Pakistani partners,” Zhuge, CEO of ZOGLAB, a professional Chinese manufacturer specialized in instruments for atmosphere and environment, told China Economic Net (CEN).

The quantity and quality of meteorological equipment in China top the world. For customers in South and Southeast Asia, Chinese meteorological equipment is more cost effective compared with similar products with the same index and precision manufactured in the US and European countries.

A set of automatic weather station sold at around RMB 300,000 by western countries can be bought at around RMB 200,000 from China, he said, citing the AWS for field environment monitoring displayed during the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) which ended yesterday in Beijing.

The cost is controlled at RMB 50,000 to 60,000. Automatic Weather Station is a very economical option for Pakistan compared with the radars and satellites which require long term, huge investment, Zhuge added.

According to the CEO, Pakistan and China can also collaborate to establish meteorological standards to improve the accuracy of the data acquired by the existing weather stations.

Taking a step further, China can provide the meteorological radars, satellite receivers, etc. to Pakistan to set up a three dimensional meteorological observation system that covers equipment on the ground, in the sea, in the air and in the space, informed Zhuge.

He further elaborated that meteorological alert is different from weather forecast. The former, which targets the meteorological disasters, requires a whole set of observation devices and equipment.

In this sense, all countries are a community with a shared future in the face of meteorological disasters, and the future lies in data sharing, he added.