(Seated L to R) - Jose Luis Luege Tamargo, Director of the National Water Commission (CONAGUA); Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada, Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources of Mexico (SEMARNAT); Carlos Pascual, US Ambassador to Mexico; and, Bill Proenza, Regional Director of the National Weather Service Southern Region. (Photo: Courtesy SEMARNET)
(December 14, 2009) – Earlier this month, Southern Region Director Bill Proenza joined U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Carlos Pascual; Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada, Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources of Mexico; and, Jose Luis Luege Tamargo, Director of the Comisión Nacional del Agua (The National Water Commission) to sign an agreement to share meteorological and hydrologic technology, training, and data in an effort to improve weather alerts and to reduce disaster risk in both countries.
Conducted in Mexico City on December 3, the signing ceremony re-established a partnership that will include U.S. training of Mexican scientists in numerical modeling as well as an increased commitment by Mexico to monitor weather by renewing its nationwide hydrometeorological network. The bilateral accord will help both countries adapt to climate change by providing clear and timely data on meteorological and hydrological conditions. A previous five-year accord expired in 2007.
The Comisión Nacional de Agua is an administrative unit of Mexico's Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat. Its main functions include: administration and custody of Mexican national waters, as well as areas connected to them; enforcement of the Law of National Waters; providing for the preservation of water quality and quantity with aims to achieving sustainable use; studying, planning, promoting, building, watching, operating, conserving and rehabilitating the hydraulic infrastructure and complementary construction activities by the federal government.
The document is a general agreement pledging the desire of both countries to collaborate and communicate in the fields of hydrology and meteorology. Joint letters of intent that identify specific areas of bilateral collaboration will be signed separately by NOAA National Weather service Director Jack Hayes and his counterpart in Mexico’s National Water Commission. These letters specifying specific areas of joint work will be drawn up in the months ahead.
Bill Proenza and Southern Region Climate Program Manager Victor Murphy also met with the Mexican hydrologic and meteorological entities to identify specific areas of future hydrologic and meteorologic collaboration.
