Panchayat-level weather forecast from next week: IMD chief Mohapatra

In a significant expansion of its coverage, the India Meteorological Department will provide panchayat-level weather forecast from next week, particularly to help small farmers plan farming better and cut down climate-induced losses, its chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said on Thursday.

India's technological progress has made it possible for the department to take its forecasting capability from the block to panchayat level, he told PTI in an interview.

The aim is to connect with at least five farmers in every village across the country through the "Panchayat Mausam Seva" and provide them all weather parameters such as maximum and minimum temperatures, humidity and wind speed, in addition to severe weather warnings.

This information will be available in 12 Indian languages, besides English and Hindi, he said.

The "Panchayat Mausam Seva" will be launched on Monday, when the IMD begins its year-long celebrations to mark its 150th anniversary.

"The IMD is currently helping disseminate agriculture-related weather observations and forecasts at the block level. Now, we are moving a step further and reaching the panchayat level," he said.
He said that as part of the 'Har Har Mausam, Har Ghar Mausam' initiative, any person anywhere in the country will be able to access the weather forecast of that particular location on his mobile phone.

"Touch anywhere on your mobile screen or feed into it the latitude and longitude or pincode of a place to get the forecast for the next seven days. All weather parameters such as maximum and

minimum temperature, humidity, wind speed, etc., will be covered. It will also provide severe weather warnings," he said.

The weather office considers it a priority to minimize the losses of small farmers dependent on agriculture in rainfed areas.

Citing an independent study, Mohapatra said a small farmer in rainfed areas stands to gain Rs 12,500 if he utilises the weather forecast and acts accordingly.

"We have reached three crore farmers, and the benefit adds up to a massive Rs 13,300 crore. Imagine the GDP gain if we could reach all the 10 crore farmers in the country," he said.

"India's technological capability has increased over the years. We have new models that were not available in the past. There has been tremendous improvement in terms of modelling and forecasting capabilities, observations, communication, and warning dissemination," he said.

Mohapatra said the IMD now has access to data from automatic weather stations, satellites, radars, and collaboration with state governments for utilising their observation networks for forecasting.
He said the IMD will also launch the "National Framework for Climate Services" with the objective of providing climate information and services to all sectors, including agriculture, energy, disaster management, power, transport, health, and water, to help them make informed decisions and mitigate climate risks.

Mohapatra said the IMD, through its weather forecasts, has been able to minimize losses in sectors such as power, health, transport, and agriculture.

"There are certain sectors such as sports and industry which have not been utilising the IMD's information to the required extent. The use of weather and climate information needs to be mainstreamed in each and every activity," he said.

"We want people to utilise weather and climatic information before starting construction work or even for weddings," he said.

Mohapatra said the weather office was increasing the number of radars, automatic weather stations, and rain gauges and collaborating with state governments and agencies like the National Disaster Management Authority to improve its observation network.

"The number of radars will increase from 39 at present to 86 in the next five years," Mohapatra said.