Belarus is hosting the United Security Day campaign for the first time from February 20 to March 1, 2019. Targeted measures are being taken to prevent emergencies, offenses and crimes, as well as training in emergency situations, accidents, and first aid. It is assumed that the «United Security Day» will be held in the country twice a year: in February and September.  Preventive event dedicated to the United Day of Safety was held as a part of action on March 1, 2019 in the assembly hall of Belhydromet in order to build a safety culture of life in the field of protection against emergency situations.  In the program of the event: 1. Lectures on actions in case of a threat or emergency of a natural and man-made nature was held. 2. Demonstration of videos on «Actions at the signal» Warning!». 3. Alert and evacuation of employees in the event of a fire in administrative building of Belhydromet. 4. There was a visual campaign with information about life safety at the information stand of Belhydromet.  

February 26 - 27, 2019, the office of RSE Kazhydromet that located in Astana hosted 4 employees of Belhydromet: Leading Engineer of Public Relations Department Yauheni Korzun, Chief of NWP department Raisa Burak, Leading Programmer of Software Development Department Aliaksandr Paulenka. and software engineer of numerical modeling of software service forecasts department Ihar Krauchanka The main objectives of the visit were to study the experience of computing center of RSE Kazhydromet in adapting WRF mesoscale atmosphere model to local conditions, which allows improving the quality of models output, as well as to discuss the process of interaction with the media.  Kazhydromet specialists negotiated with the Chief of Kazhydromet Computing Center Talgat Usmanov and with chief of international cooperation and public relations department Gulzhan Tulebaeva. Parties came to the conclusion about the necessity to strengthen cooperation between national hydrometeorological services of Belarus and Qazaqstan. Continuation of negotiations is planned in the first half of April 2019, when representatives of Belgydromet will arrive in Astana to visit EUMETSAT information day.

WMO headquarters in Geneva hosted Technical conference (TECO-Hydro) (February 11-13) and extraordinary session of Hydrological commission (February 13-14). Belhydromet took part in both events. Delegation was represented by Deputy Head Svetlana Kuzmich and Head of hydrology and agrometeorology service Liudmila Zhuravovich.  Belhydromet representatives took part in discussions of WMO constitutional bodies reform, as well as the main issues of water resources and WMO role in resolving it, recommendations of developing regarding ways of integration of hydrological activity into a new WMO entity.  Moreover, world experience and pioneer methods in hydrology were studied. Also were formed new proposals for implementation received experience into Belhydromet activity. 

On January 9, 2019 sport festival “Minskaya lyzhnya - 2019”” was held in suburb Vesnyanka. About 5000 people were watching the event.  Belhydromet workers also visited the event.  It was significantly, that first time sport event was held in different format. For the first time in history audience could watch biathlon.  Two dozens of teams took part in race for 3 and 4 kilometers in the first start of marathon. Among them teams of Presidential Administration, Ministers' Council, regional governments, City Executive Committee, Supreme Court and Constitutional Court, Management of Presidential Affair, Chamber of Representatives, National Olympic Committee.  Also famous sportsmen and figures of different spheres, belarussian pop-stars, journalists. teams of ministries and institutions were competed between each other. Belhydromet representatives were watching the race and target shooting with pleasure.  Among biathlon in Vesnyanka was held ski batons. The most spectacular was of course mass start, where all interested took place. About 3000 people participated.  Supporters enjoyed the nice weather and holiday atmosphere. Event organizers did their best. Territories reserved for games were full of people crowds. Guests could participate in different competitions, folk games and competitions, for example tug-of-war. Mascots played with children and adults, photographed with all who wish.  Artists and artistic groups pleased guests with performances. Small shops and cafes worked on the territory.  People could try soldiers porridge and hot tea. Despite Belhydromet specialists didn’t take part in competitions, they made a choice for active rest on fresh air, showed themselves as active supporters and got unforgettable emotions.   

Meeting with World Bank experts with the head of Europe and Central Asia department of global practice in a sphere of ecology and natural resources Ksenya Lvovskaya was held on February 6 in Belhydromet. The main goal of the meeting was to discuss priorities and developing of ecological monitoring in the Republic of Belarus. Ksenya Lvovskay presented short characteristic of main activity of Global practice in a sphere of ecology and natural resources in Europe and Central Asia, including questions of ecological monitoring. Belhydromet representatives spoke in brief about information of existing system of data gathering, storage and processing, as a result of environment monitoring. Belhydromet specialists also told about national system of environment monitoring in the Republic of Belarus and about directions assigned directly to Belhydromet.  Meeting was held in a format of constructive dialog. Both sides outlined plans of further cooperation based on results of the meeting. 

Belhydromet hosted media event dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Union state creation. 12 representatives of press-media took part in the meeting: National press-center of the Republic of Belarus, Komsomolskaya Pravda v Belarusi, Soyuznoe Veche, SB.Belarus segodnya, BelaPAN, Minsk-news, magazine “Rodnaya pryroda”, information-analytic portal of Union state and others. Head of Belhydromet Roman Labaznov delivered welcoming remarks. Then deputy head Svetlana Kuzmich made a report about the realization of Union State Program for Union state hydrometeorological safety system developing of 2017-2021 years. She made a detailed report upon achieved results during Program implementation in 2018 and plans for 2019. Mass-media representatives communicated with Belhydromet specialists that are responsible for realization of action items of Program implementation. Guests of Belhydromet were also acquainted with objectives and the progress of 5 action items implementation of the Program.  After the Media event the sightseeing tour of Belhydromet was held for Mass-media representatives.   Experience of such media events shows undoubted interest of end users to National hydrometeorological service of the Republic of Belarus activity in frames of Union state. Developing of two-sided cooperation of National hydrometeorological services of Belarus and Russia, joint activity in frames of Committee of Union state for hydrometeorology and nature environment pollution monitoring is unique and can be the example for other countries hydrometeorological services.

    Experts of World bank visited Belarus within the frameworks of implementation of Technical Assistance Project «Enhancing Disaster Preparedness in Republic of Belarus», which focuses on capacity building to ensure disaster preparedness in Belarus through improving services of extreme weather conditions, identification risks, data availability and dissemination and national strategy for disaster risk reduction. Achievement of the main project goal is planning through realization of three components: 1. Support of the wider political dialog on managing of disaster risks in Belarus. 2. Improving damage and loss evaluation system efficiency. 3. Improving the quality of hydrometeorological services and information on the radiation situation, including early warning systems. Realization of three components will be conducted through access to international expert knowledge and experience, best practice leadership and more suitable software with open source code and due to possibility of participating in global workshops and regional seminars. Project will be implemented jointly by Ministry of natural resources and environment protection of the Republic of Belarus and Ministry of emergency situations. Project proposal represents great interest both of Ministry of natural resources and Ministry of emergency situation and for Belarus in general.  Integrated approach will be conducted for risk evaluation and for basic and technogenic emergency situation, prevailing in the Republic of Belarus (floods, storms, wildfires, drought, and risks in radiation monitoring) as the result of the Project. Project will cover existing data bases of emergency situation and process of data exchange.    Within the frameworks of Project road map and investment plan will be developed with plan for modernization of services for providing meteorological, climate, hydrological information and also information in a sphere of radiation monitoring in Belarus. Opportunities for straightening and creating joint information platform with a purpose of modern and clear access to modern systems will be considered. The first meeting with World Bank experts took place on January 28, 2019. Belhydromet representatives briefly reported about the history of hydrometservice, the main activity in a sphere of meteorology, hydrology and radiation monitoring. The experts took place in an excursion through Belhydromet. Despite of the fact that the first meeting day was introductory, experts team and workers of Belhydromet have already determined necessary questions for the week to discuss. The meeting with the stakeholders as hydromet information end-users took place on January 29, 2019. Meanwhile experts were working with Ministry of emergency situation of the Republic of Belarus. 

Opening ceremony of meteorological and aerological complex “Minsk” in the district of military town took place on December 27, 2018.  Building of a new meteorological and aerological observation station started on April 2, 2018. The complex put into operation on April 5, 2018. Uniqueness of the new complex consists of integrated approach of different observing networks functioning: surface meteorological, actinometric, hydrological and aerological. The most modern equipment and instruments purchased and set for producing of all types of observations. First deputy prime minister of the Republic of Belarus M.I. Rusyi, Minister of natural resources and environmental protection A.P.Khudyk , First deputy minister of Minister of natural resources and environmental protection I.V.Malkina and Pershamaisky District Chief Officer I.A.Kudrevich took place in the opening ceremony.  Honored guests have learned the object, visited meteorological platform and methodical-training block, and also learned preparation and launch technology of weather balloon.  Фото: Сергей Балай, Белапан                 

 Belhydromet realizes a number of major projects, which were supported by the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko currently. First, it is a building of the meteorological and aerological observation complex “Minsk” in the district of military town. Building of a new meteorological and aerological observation station started on April 2, 2018. The complex put into operation on April 5, 2018. Uniqueness of the new complex consists of integrated approach of different observing networks functioning: surface meteorological, actinometric, hydrological and aerological. The most modern equipment and instruments purchased and set for producing of all types of observations.  Surface meteorological observations are conducted on a 24-hour basis with the help of automated information measurement system produced by belarusian company OAO “Peleng”. System consists of 25 sensors and includes observations of state, change and atmosphere processes development, including dangerous and adverse hydrometeorological phenomena, measurement of parameters and identification of meteorological characteristics (74 characteristics and parameters).  Actinometric observations carries out automatically with the help of 5 sensors that are installed in actinometric station produced by belarusian company OAO “Peleng” and includes in a streaming operation mode a radiative regime data receiving: direct, ambient, total solar radiation, surface reflected radiation, radiation balance. Atmosphere radiosonde measurement have stopped in 1998 because of the renovation in the building of observatory and equipment removal and was resumed with putting into operation of the Complex. Third sounding point opening in the center of the Republic of Belarus together with operating points of aerological observations in Brest and Gomel enables to capture temperature-wind sounding in the whole territory of the country. The data will be used not only for prognostic purposes of Belarusian forecasters, but will expand presence of Belarus in international information exchange. The one wind-temperature SODAR in mobile version put into operation on the territory of complex. Usage of such equipment enables to produce real-time continuous monitoring of temperature and wind parameters in low atmosphere layers in the purpose of providing dangerous meteorological phenomenon, to conduct radiation and ecological monitoring in Minsk and on the territory of BelNPP for calculation of pollution spread in case of hazardous situation. Project for the development of radiolocation observation network also received a support. A modern radars usage lets receive actual weather information in real time mode, including storm danger warnings and adverse weather phenomena and quickly changing weather and forecast its development in the near future.  Belhydromet has three radars at its disposal: in Minsk, Gomel and Brest. There is a plan to install one in Vitebsk and Grodno and also to change radar in Brest. Installation work of Vitebsk radar was finished on December 2018. Work on choosing land for DMR is conducting in Grodno now.  Network of Belhydromet stationary observation points covers not a whole territory of Belarus, especially in part of precipitations. Currently meteorological network in Belarus consists of 51 observation stations, 38 of them have automated meteorological systems.  Increase of meteorological observation stations up to 60 is expected by 2020.  In frames of extension of meteorological observation networks started actions on automated meteorological stations installing. It’s also a new Belhydromets project. Automated meteorological station already functioning in Polotsk and Shchuchin. 2 stations in Grodno and Soligorsk were installed by the end of 2018.  Extension of observation network trough implement of automated stations do not requires stuff increasing and lets receive meteorological information in real time mode on territories which are not covered by stationary observation points.