BELHYDROMET

Today, May 21, the first and main day of the 81st meeting of the Joint Board of the Union State Committee on Hydrometeorology and Environmental Pollution Monitoring is taking place in the Grand Hall of the Government of the Murmansk Region.

The agenda includes nine key issues covering areas of joint activity such as the results of Belarusian-Russian Antarctic expeditions, the current state and improvement of environmental pollution monitoring systems, agrometeorology, hydrological data processing, space weather, natural fires, as well as the implementation of Union State projects and the execution of previously adopted decisions.

The event is attended by representatives of Belhydromet, Roshydromet, scientific circles of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, senior officials of the Murmansk Region, and manufacturers of meteorological equipment.

Welcome addresses to the participants were given by:
-  Igor Shumakov, Chairman of the Joint Board, Head of Roshydromet;
-  Siarhei Khilman, Deputy Chairman, Head of Belhydromet;
-  Oksana Demchenko, First Deputy Governor of the Murmansk Region.

In his speech, the Head of Belhydromet emphasized the importance of constructive work within the Board to develop common approaches to monitoring hazardous phenomena and developing the observation network of the Union State.

"The Hydrometeorological Service of Belarus, and I personally, highly value and place great hope on the further development of bilateral cooperation between the state hydrometeorological services of Belarus and Russia. Today, we are working together on import substitution of hydrometeorological equipment, increasing the production of our own observational data, improving early warning of hazardous and adverse hydrometeorological phenomena, thereby resisting sanctions pressure. Without exaggeration, I can say that joint activities within the framework of the Union State Committee on Hydrometeorology are unique in their essence and can serve as a good example for national hydrometeorological services of neighboring and distant countries. The range of issues considered during the meetings of the Joint Board of the Union State Committee on Hydrometeorology expands year by year and is supplemented with new issues of high importance for the hydrometeorological services of Belarus and Russia," noted Siarhei Khilman.

Tatsiana Chаtyrka, First Deputy Head of Belhydromet, reported on the interdepartmental system for monitoring and responding to fires in natural ecosystems using operational space information from the Belarusian Space System for Earth Remote Sensing, information systems for remote monitoring of the fire situation in the territory of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, as well as on the results of the working group's consideration of the feasibility of creating a joint test site for year-round testing of meteorological and aerological equipment.
Ekaterina Istomina, Head of the Hydrology and Agrometeorology Service of Belhydromet, presented a report "On improving methods of agrometeorological monitoring and assessment of the state of agricultural crops."

Aleh Dziubaila, Head of the Radiation Monitoring Service and Ulladzimir Kasyanenka, Head of the International Cooperation Department of the Ideological Work and International Cooperation Directorate, reported on the status of the Union State project "Modernization and development of the radiation monitoring system of the Union State using mobile platforms for radiometric measurements" and on the implementation of decisions adopted at previous meetings of the Joint Board with deadlines in the first half of 2026.