World Meteorological Organization

The La Plata River Basin is the second largest river basin in South America, with an approximate surface area of three million square kilometers. The Paraguay River flows freely through 2 600 km, passing through the largest wetland in the world before joining the Paraná River. It home to more than 100 million people from five different countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. While the rivers in the basin greatly contribute to the economy of the region, they also experience large floods that impact the surrounding local communities and large cities. Demands for increased food and energy production, and the presence of populations at risk of flooding require increased knowledge of the Basin’s hydrometeorological regime and the adoption of the latest technologies to meet these challenges. The Hydrometeorological Forecasting and Early Warnings System in the La Plata Basin (PROHMSAT) project seeks to enhance the capacities of the region's NMHSs for the provision of flood forecasting, decreasing the vulnerability of the surrounding communities against the impact of floods.