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Paraguay braces for 'Superniño' flood threat, AI predicts up to 100,000 families affected Image: Gentileza
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Disasters & Emergencies

Paraguay braces for 'Superniño' flood threat, AI predicts up to 100,000 families affected

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Paraguay's Armed Forces have launched Operation 'Arapochy' using a pioneering AI model to predict critical Paraguay River floods by year-end due to the impending El Niño phenomenon.
  • The operation aims to mitigate the socioeconomic impact of potential floods, with AI projecting up to 100,000 families could be affected, surpassing the 60,000 affected in 2019.
  • Vulnerable areas include Bahía Negra, Fuerte Olimpo, Concepción, Asunción, Alberdi, and Pilar, with AI integrating real-time meteorological and hydrological data for strategic decision-making.

Paraguay's Armed Forces have initiated Operation 'Arapochy,' a preventative measure against the anticipated severe impacts of the El Niño climate phenomenon, projected to intensify in the final quarter of the year. In collaboration with the National Emergency Secretariat (SEN), the operation aims to mitigate the devastating socioeconomic consequences of potential floods along the Paraguay River.

A key innovation in disaster management for Paraguay is the pioneering use of an Artificial Intelligence agent developed within the Armed Forces. This AI system integrates real-time meteorological and hydrological data from open sources like the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and satellite networks such as Windy. This data is cross-referenced with hydrological information to create predictive models.

There is a 95% probability of exceeding this threshold.

— General of Division Gustavo ArzaDiscussing the likelihood of the Paraguay River exceeding the 2019 flood levels.

Authorities are using the 2019 flood scenario, which affected 60,000 families when the Paraguay River reached 7.50 meters in Asunción, as a reference. Current projections indicate a 95% probability of exceeding this threshold. Recalling the major 1983 flood, which reached 9.01 meters and inundated entire communities like Pilar, the military is preparing for a worst-case scenario. This hypothesis projects up to 100,000 families could be affected nationwide.

The mapping of vulnerable areas identifies Bahía Negra, Fuerte Olimpo, Concepción, Asunción, Alberdi, and Pilar along the Paraguay River basin as most at risk. The AI's predictive capabilities are crucial in navigating the 'fog of war' associated with disaster management, allowing for more strategic decision-making in anticipating and responding to the impending crisis.

The AI system integrates data meteorological and hydrological in real time from open sources like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States (NOAA) and satellite networks like Windy, crossing them with hydrological information.

— Major of Communications Robert BenítezExplaining the technological approach used in disaster prediction.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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