JANUARY 15, 2023
Union Minister for Science and Technology, Earth Sciences, and several other portfolios, Dr. Jitendra Singh, on Sunday said that by 2025, the entire country will have a Doppler Weather Radar Network to more accurately predict extreme weather events.
He highlighted that the under the current government, India Meteorological Department (IMD) has rapidly expanded the radar network from 15 in 2013 to 37 in 2023, and plans to add 25 more in the next 2-3 years.
The IMD has augmented Doppler Weather Radar network in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir, and enhanced radar network will help further to predict extreme weather events more accurately, he added.
Dr. Singh dedicated four Doppler Weather Radar Systems to Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh. He also dedicated 200 Agro Automated Weather Stations to the nation. He said that by 2025, the government aims to establish 660 District Agro Meteorological Units (DAMUs) under Agro-Meteorological Services. This is an increase from 3,100 blocks in 2023 to 7,000 blocks in 2025.
The Minister highlighted that the warning and advisory services provided by IMD are helping farmers and fishermen to improve their economy. A recent survey by the National Centre for Applied Economic Research found that the investment in the monsoon mission program resulted in a return of 50 rupees for each one rupee invested.
The Minister also stated that farmers below the poverty line have particularly benefited greatly as Agromet Advisories at the district and block levels are used effectively by millions of farmers during various stages of farming, and the service is being expanded. The web GIS services launched by IMD last year have been further augmented with the addition of hazard and vulnerability elements, in collaboration with other state and central agencies. This is helping the public, disaster managers, and stakeholders to initiate timely response actions to mitigate disasters, the Minister noted.
Dr Singh further added that the accuracy has increased by about 20-40% for different severe weather events forecast during last five years.
Courtesy/Source: Times Now / PTI
