AIRPORT; RADAR SCANNER; TOWER; RAINFALL GAUGE EXPLAINED; VISITORS VIEW VARIOUS INSTRUMENTS; DATA RECORDING UNIT; MONITOR; WIND-SPEED INSTRUMENT; VARIOUS INSTRUMENTS EXPLAINED; VISITORS LOOK AT PHOTOGRAPHS; VISITORS WITH METEOROLOGICAL OFFICER.




Initials IF/VS/JF/PF



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Background: WORLD METEOROLOGICAL DAY WAS CELEBRATED IN DAKAR, SENEGAL ON SATURDAY (23 MARCH) BY AND EXHIBITION AT THE MINISTERIAL ADMINISTRATIVE CENTRE. AS EXPLAINED IN A SPEECH MADE ON THE OCCASION BY THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS, THE DAY WAS INSTITUTED BY THE WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANISATION TO BRING HOME TO THE PUBLIC THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING THE WEATHER.

FOR MANY YEARS, SAID THE MINISTER, M. MADY CISSOKHO, METEOROLOGY IN SENEGAL HAD CONCENTRATED ON ITS APPLICATION TO AERONAUTICS. BUT RECENTLY ITS SCOPE HAD BEEN EXTENDED TO THE DOMAINS OF AGRICULTURE, INDUSTRY, COMMERCE, LAND AND WATER COMMUNICATION, HEALTH MATTERS, AND SO ON. IT HAS BECOME IN CONSEQUENCE A FACTOR OF CONSIDERABLE IMPORTANCE IN THE COUNTRY'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

SPEAKING ON RADIO SENEGAL, THE MINISTER STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING MAXIMUM USE OF A COUNTRY'S NATURAL RESOURCES. THIS COULD NOT BE DONE WITHOUT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ALL THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE COUNTRY - AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THESE BEING WEATHER AND CLIMATE. M. CISSOKHO CONTINUED TO POINT OUT THAT IN THE WORLD TODAY, TOO MANY MOUTHS REMAINED UNDERFED, AND THAT BY THE END OF THE CENTURY, THESE WOULD BE VASTLY INCREASED WITH A PROBABLE DOUBLING OF THE WORLD POPULATION. IT WAS ESSENTIAL TO MEET THE NEEDS NOT ONLY OF THE PRESENT, BUT OF THE FUTURES, AND IT WAS ONLY THROUGH AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE MACHINERY OF THE WORLD THAT ITS PEOPLE COULD HOPE TO SURVIVE.

VISITORS TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE CENTRE EXHIBITION HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO VIEW A WIDE VARIETY OF APPARATUS DESIGNED TO STUDY THE VAGARIES OF THE WEATHER, AND WERE ABLE TO TALK TO EXPERTS ON METEOROLOGY.