The Hindu : Integrated met data systems in select districts

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 25, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Integrated met data systems in select districts

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, FEB.24. In an ambitious programme, aimed at providing a wide range of customised satellite-based information to people of different regions, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has planned to install indigenously-developed "Integrated Meteorological Data Reception and Analysis Systems" in select districts in the country following the successful implementation of a pilot project in Uttaranchal.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an International Symposium on "Natural Hazards" here on Tuesday, the Director-General of the IMD, S.K. Srivastav, said the pilot project was launched a month ago in Pithoragarh district of Uttaranchal, after undertaking extensive trials for six months. Describing it as "one window information" on everything, he said the advantage of the system was that it could be used anywhere -- aboard a ship or atop a mountain.

He said customised forecast was provided to people living in the hills in Pithoragarh, known to experience landslides and mudslides. The technology for the system containing a nine-inch antenna was developed by the IMD and the technical knowhow had been given to five or six manufacturers for producing it. The cost of the system would be between Rs.5 and Rs. 7 lakhs and would operate for 24 hours with a minimum of two-hour power supply.

Dr.Srivastav said information relating to weather prediction, agricultural advisories, floods and disasters, among others, would be provided. The IMD had programmed to set up Meteorology Forecast Offices in at least one district in every State during this year and expand the network to cover 10 districts in each State in 2005. A couple of officials from the IMD, who would be posted in each district, would add value to the information and provide it to local people.

In another project, the IMD is collaborating with the Chandigarh-based Semi-Conductor Complex Limited to indigenously produce low-cost digital radio receiver sets for relaying information on weather and sea conditions to fishermen. The sets could be mounted on boats by fishermen who went deep into the sea for fishing. While similar sets developed by the World Space would cost Rs.15000, the indigenous ones would cost about Rs.1200. The project was expected to be grounded in three months as the prototype was being tested in Delhi.

Dr.Srivastav said the IMD was working with the Agriculture Department to make available the sets to fishermen who could not only get timely advisories on weather and fish catches but could also listen to entertaining music. "It will be a great boon to fishermen. It will provide economic benefit and enhance their safety," he added.

He said the IMD was also making efforts to reduce earthquake risks and had begun a "micro-zoning" project under which all major cities would be covered. The IMD's Earthquake Risk Evaluation Centre had already started the process for Delhi which fell in zone 4 of the seismological zoning map and was quite vulnerable to earthquake. He said the entire risk map for Delhi would be ready within the next two years.

Monsoon prediction

The long-term monsoon prediction for this year would be announced on April 15 based on a new, eight-parameter model, Dr. Srivastav said here on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters, he said the time of the prediction had been advanced by 40 days since last year as all the precursors relating to the new model would be available by the first week of April. Earlier the IMD used to announce long-term monsoon forecast on May 25.

Later based on another 10-parameter model after June 30, the IMD would forecast rainfall for July and indicate if any corrections were needed for the prediction made in April. He said El Nino was not a strong parameter and "its weight is not very high in our forecast.". Besides, it had been stated that it would be a very minor El Nino phenomenon this time.

The IMD was also developing models for providing monthly forecasts for agriculture.

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