Manila - Australia said Thursday it will provide a 17-million-peso (346,940-dollar) grant to the Philippines to improve weather forecasting and help the disaster-prone country better prepare for natural calamities.

The Australian embassy in Manila said the fund will be provided to the country's weather bureau, which has often been criticized for inaccurate forecasts, through the Australian Agency for International Development.

"As a regional neighbour and key development partner, Australia is helping improve the Philippines' preparedness to manage and respond to disasters and emergencies," Australian Ambassador Rod Smith said. "The poor are the most affected by natural disasters."

The aid would allow the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to use new technology to better analyse weather patterns and map storms, the embassy said in a statement.

"The technology will also provide weather forecasters with better data and visual tools during tropical cyclones, allowing PAGASA to issue early warnings on tropical storms more quickly and efficiently to emergency stakeholders and threatened communities," it added.

Every year, an average of 20 storms hit the Philippines, killing hundreds of people, displacing millions and causing widespread damage to agriculture and properties.

In June, more than 1,300 people were killed in the Philippines due to various accidents caused by typhoon Fengshen. About 800 of the victims were passengers of a ferry that sank in storm-whipped seas in the eastern Philippines.

The ferry's owners had blamed PAGASA for the sinking, one of the worst maritime accidents in the Philippines. They alleged that the ferry sailed despite the bad weather because PAGASA gave inaccurate and delayed forecasts about Fengshen. (dpa)