BILANG tugon sa pabago-bagong galaw ng panahon na nagdudulot ng perwisyo sa mamamayan, ipinahayag ng Caltex, marketed ng Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI), ang muling pagbibigay ng suporta sa pamamagitan ng 18 automated weather stations (AWS) na ilalagay sa piling Caltex stations sa Metro Manila para makapagbigay nang tamang impormasyon hingil sa lagay ng panahon.

Kabuuang P1 milyon ang kaloob ng Caltex para sa maintenance ng naturang AWS simula ngayong taon hanggang 2022. Nagsimula ang proyekto noong 2012 sa pagtatambalan ng Caltex at Manila Observatory (MO).

Ang AWS, pinamamahalaan ng MO, ang sumusukat sa tema ng panahon sa naturang area. Ang naturang solar powered outdoor sensors ay nagbabantay sa temperatura, solar radiation, wind speed at direction, relative humidity, pressure, at dami ng ulan na ibubuhis at  haba ng oaras ng pagulan.

“This project is aligned with our culture of health and safety. We are ecstatic to be a part of this revolutionary project. We want to share the AWS data not only to our employees but also to our customers and the public. We also hope to help raise awareness on climate change and the importance of being prepared,” pahayag ni Atty. Raissa Bautista, CPI manager for policy, government and public affairs.

Ang Metro Weather project ay itinayo rin sa Iloilo City at Iloilo province, Davao City at Davao Oriental, gayundin sa Cagayan de Oro City.

“The Manila Observatory is committed to providing scientific and innovative ways to help our community to be aware of our surroundings. Through this project, we can meet the objective of keeping the public informed and alert of the weather conditions in the metropolis, making them smart and prepared citizens. Equally important, these weather stations will provide data that will help us better understand urban meteorology dynamics and the implications on weather extremes especially in light of a globally warmer world” sambit ni Dr. Gemma Narisma, MO executive director.