Prime Minister inaugurates ‘Mission Mausam’ on the occasion of 150th anniversary of India Meteorological Department (IMD). To make India a ‘weather-ready and climate-smart’ nation, promote weather and climate science, research and services.Budget and implementation: Allocation of ₹2,000 crore, for two years. It will be implemented by India Meteorological Department (IMD), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF).
Key features of Mission Mausam
Accurate forecasting
- Real-time local weather forecasting.
- Research on weather management techniques.
Use of advanced technology
- Modern weather monitoring systems.
- High-resolution atmospheric observations.
- New generation radars, satellites and high-performance computers.
Data-driven forecasting
- Improved spatial and temporal accuracy.
- Addressing challenges of climate change.
- Air quality monitoring: Detailed air quality data for long-term strategies.
Importance of Mission Mausam
Extreme weather events
- Events like cloud bursts, lightning, and heavy rainfall are common in India.
- Need for better forecasting for small-scale events.
Weather modification
- Technique to increase or prevent rainfall by spraying silver iodide in clouds.
- Successful use in other countries (US, China, UAE).
- Flood prevention: Change in rainfall pattern in flood-prone areas.
- Drought solution: Reduce water problem by artificial rainfall in drought-prone areas.
Challenges of weather forecasting in India
- Complexity of atmospheric processes: Tropical location and uncertainty of monsoon make forecasting difficult.
- Lack of local forecasting capability: IMD provides forecasts only for a 12 km x 12 km area, which is not sufficient for a specific location within a city.
- Inadequate equipment: IMD has only 39 Doppler radars and no wind profilers, while China has 217 radars and 128 wind profilers.
- Misinterpretation of forecasts: Misinterpretation of satellite images, radar and other data frequently leads to forecast mistakes.
Effects of climate change
- Erratic weather patterns lead to localised events like heavy rainfall and droughts.
- Understanding of events like cloudbursts, thunderstorms etc is still limited.
Indian Meteorological Department
Establishment and objectives
- IMD was established in 1875.
- It is the national meteorological service of the country and the premier government agency in all matters relating to meteorology.
- Key officials: IMD is headed by the Director General.
Regional centres
6 Regional Meteorological Centres
- Headquarters: Mumbai, Chennai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Nagpur, and Guwahati.
- Headquarters: IMD is headquartered in New Delhi.
- Ministry: At present IMD comes under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).