The Hindu : National : For accurate weather forecasting

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Monday, Dec 31, 2007
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For accurate weather forecasting

P. Sunderarajan

550 more automatic stations, 1,350 rain gauges to be set up

Dedicated research centre being set up in Pune
Collaboration with global institutions, research groups

NEW DELHI: With rains becoming more and more erratic largely due to global climate change, the Centre has taken up a plan to modernise the functioning of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) — from collection of data to the systems of weather forecasting and public dissemination of information.

By the end of the next financial year, 550 more automatic weather stations and 1,350 automatic rain gauges will be installed so that every district in the country has weather monitoring equipment.

The automatic stations will be directly linked to Indian satellites to ensure that temperature, humidity and other data essential for forecast are monitored on a real time basis.

According a spokesperson of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, parent Ministry of the IMD, 125 automatic weather stations have already been procured and are being installed.

Quantum leap

Once all the stations become operational, there will be a quantum leap in the accuracy of forecast.

The Ministry is setting up a dedicated research centre in Pune for studying scientific issues relating to climate change including its impact on health, agriculture and other sectors.

The centre will have the mandate to explore and assess targeted science facets of climate change that are of high relevance to India, along with their global linkages.

Apart from having state-of-the-art infrastructure, the centre will integrate research groups already working in various institutions in different parts of the country and create new groups wherever there are gaps in expertise.

In addition, it will forge collaborative linkages with international institutions and research groups, and coordinate systematic observation programmes for climate change-related parameters such as fluxes of greenhouse gases over India and the seas surrounding the country.

Weather channel

The Ministry is in the process of launching a dedicated, round-the-clock weather channel.

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