IMD to Launch Panchayat Level Weather Forecasting

Visakhapatnam: The Indian Meteorology Department, which has made rapid strides in the weather forecasting system in the country over the last few decades, has decided to take the system to the panchayat-level to help farmers and the villagers by end of this year, said director general of IMD Mrutyunjay Mohapatra while participating in the stakeholders workshop to mark the 50 years celebration of Cyclone Warning Center, Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.

"Our aim is to connect with the village level people across the country through Mobile Apps and provide them with all the weather parameters such as temperature, humidity, and wind speed, in addition to clouds,’’ he added.

"We have taken the slogan Har Har Mausam, Har Ghar Mausam, and soon every person will monitor weather info. Any individual in any corner of the country can access the information through mobile app or by typing PIN code,’’ he added

Stating that the IMD’s weather forecast accuracy has increased significantly (40 to 50 per cent) over the past decade, he said there were still certain gap barriers.

To further enhance weather and climate understanding, the IMD plans to utilize approximately 25 high-level macro-radios. Currently, 60 radio stations are being established to generate three-dimensional data on wind, temperature, humidity, and cloud reflectivity. This data will be integrated into models with a resolution of six kilometers, allowing for block-level forecasts to evolve into chair-level forecasts by late 2024 or early 2025.

All sectors will benefit from improved input forecasts due to advancements in observation systems and modeling techniques. By 2030, the IMD anticipates a 10 percent to15 percent improvement in water-related forecasting accuracy.

He said there should be continued radars by replacing the old radars and there was a need to establish at least 50 new radars across the country in the next two years, Mohapatra added.

The role of IMD is becoming increasingly crucial and IMD has had to adapt not only to maintain its accuracy in forecasting but also be accessible and useful for the public. Each and every sector will provide the input forecast by improving the forecasting system.

In a bid to improve rain forecasting in urban areas, the IMD has launched the urban radar network in some mega cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Delihi in the country. Urban meteorology study will be conducted in other cities. The objective of the urban meteorology study are flood and inundation modelling, heat and health warning system, he added. Urban areas are more vulnerable for flood due to increasing concrete structure, dense population, and lack of proper open space, Mohapatra added while referring to Vijayawada floods.