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Storm Alert System with Real-Time Precipitation Monitoring

Solution Overview

Buenos Aires developed a Storm Alert System (SAT) as part of its Hydraulic Plan to anticipate accurately and in real time the arrival of storms, southeast blows, and different extreme climate phenomena.[4] The system predicts with 90 to 120 minutes of anticipation which zones of Buenos Aires City will be most affected by storms, with a precision of 4 kilometers.[1] This approach was designed, installed, and became operational by December 31, 2020, with the goal of providing early warning access to 3,000,000 people.[6]

Technical Components

The infrastructure incorporates a weather radar and 34 automatic meteorological and hydrological stations distributed across the City and AMBA (Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area).[4][5] Among these stations, 13 are automatic hydrological stations monitoring different points of the Vega, White, Ugarteche, Medrano, Radio Antiguo, Elías Iguazú Erézcano, Ochoa, San Pedrito streams and the Maldonado relief channel.[1] Seven stations are both meteorological and hydrological, located on the Maldonado and Cildañez streams, while four additional meteorological stations operate in the neighborhoods of Colegiales, Parque Centenario, Parque Avellaneda, and Pompeya.[1] In Buenos Aires Province, seven automatic meteorological stations function in the localities of Escobar, San Fernando, Campo de Mayo, Palomar, Morón, Lanús, and Ezeiza, plus one meteorological and mareological station in Magdalena.[1] All stations have solar panels and batteries that give them autonomy in case of possible power outages.[3] The stations can measure the speed, flow rate, and water level in the streams of the City and the water level in the Río de la Plata.[3] A satellite reception antenna receives information captured by the American meteorological satellite GOES-R, launched in 2016, which offers storm forecasts, real-time lightning activity mapping, and tornado alerts.[1][3] All information from the radar, satellite, and stations converges at the CUCC (Centro Único de Coordinación y Control) located in the Chacarita neighborhood, with data arriving through fiber optic connections and radio links to avoid cuts and interruptions.[1][3] At the CUCC, a team of 15 professionals analyzes and processes the data with software that allows cross-referencing with other information sources, including international prediction models, maps from the City's Geographic Information Systems Unit, and data from the National Meteorological Service and Naval Hydrography Service.[1]

Implementation Details

The monitoring system measures changes in rainfall, temperature, humidity, wind direction and speed, and stream water level to generate community alerts and inform real-time emergency decisions.[2] The implementation involved installing 30 information collection points, with more sensors under development as of the reporting period.[2] The system creates a real-time information repository shared with AMBA's emergency teams.[4] Implementation actions included entering into agreements with telephony companies to generate warnings through the UMTS and with Google to include geolocation of individuals and warning agents.[4] The Early Warning System was under implementation and was expected to be completed by June 2019.[6] Component 1: Institutional Development for Flood Risk Management had a cost of $10.00 million.[6] The broader project, which included the early warning system as part of flood risk management efforts, had a total cost of US$326 million, with US$200 million coming from a World Bank loan and the remaining US$125 million being financed by the Buenos Aires city government.[8] The project is part of the city's hydraulic master plan, which outlines a series of flood-mitigation actions until 2050 to reduce the risks and effects of floods in the city.[8]

Benefits and Impacts

The monitoring system enables the city to automatically operate pumping stations and floodgates, issue warnings to key institutions and the public, and send cleaning crews to compromised drains.[2] The approach allows Buenos Aires to analyze and evaluate storm predictions over the City, warns about probable floods, and improves emergency situation management.[5] Data derived from sensors along the Medrano Stream helps the city make important planning and emergency response decisions.[2] The hydrometeorological monitoring system provides a precise, real-time evaluation of the comprehensive state of the stormwater system.[5] The monitoring system protects approximately 6 million people, including residents and daily commuters.[2] By reducing the impact of flooding due to rain and providing drainage infrastructure, the project was expected to benefit some 3 million people.[8] This implementation addresses critical needs following April 2013, when Buenos Aires suffered a record rainfall causing more than $300 million in damages.[2]

Climate Adaptation Relevance

This system directly addresses extreme precipitation and flooding hazards by providing 90 to 120 minutes of advance warning with 4-kilometer precision for storm impacts.[1] The technology enables pre-emptive emergency management by predicting and monitoring weather phenomena, allowing the city to automatically operate flood control infrastructure and deploy resources before storms arrive.[2] The approach improves resilience to southeast blows and different extreme climate phenomena that threaten the metropolitan area.[4]

Business Analysis

The World Bank Board approved a US$200 million loan for the project to strengthen flood risk management in Buenos Aires and improve drainage systems in the city's Cildáñez, Vega and Maldonado river basins.[8] The financing structure combined international development funding with local government investment, with the Buenos Aires city government contributing US$125 million to the US$326 million total project cost.[8] The institutional development component specifically allocated $10.00 million for flood risk management capacity building.[6] The broader national context demonstrates significant public investment in meteorological infrastructure, with the SINARAME project demanding a total investment of 6,400 million pesos since 2011.[7] INVAP, based in Bariloche, was contracted for the construction and installation of radar systems, with the National Meteorological Service serving as the main user for the elaboration of immediate alerts based on radar information.[7] Since 2019, the Ministry of Public Works has contracted INVAP to carry out the operation and maintenance of the SINARAME radars and computer equipment.[7]

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