Delhi to Upgrade Weather and Rain Forecast System as 100 New AWS to be Installed

The Minister shared plans to install 3 radars and 180 AWS in the Delhi NCR region. In Mumbai, 2 radars have been installed with 4 more in the pipeline.

Delhi is set to receive a significant upgrade in its weather and rain forecast system, announced Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh at a high-level meeting addressing public concerns during the ongoing monsoon season across the country, including the national capital.

Dr. Singh emphasized that every effort will be made to make the forecast system more user-friendly to ensure convenience and ease of living for citizens and to mitigate the economic impact of unexpected weather changes.

Currently, Delhi has 17 Automatic Weather Stations (AWS). The Minister directed the installation of 50 additional systems immediately, with a target to reach 100 AWS in total. This upgrade aims to bring Delhi’s weather forecasting capabilities on par with global standards, providing specific, precise, and timely forecasts.

Dr. Jitendra Singh, who holds multiple portfolios including Science and Technology, Earth Sciences, and MoS PMO, convened the meeting focused on monsoon preparedness for the National Capital Region. He reviewed the upgradation of weather forecasting systems across the country.

The Minister shared plans to install 3 radars and 180 AWS in the Delhi NCR region. In Mumbai, 2 radars have been installed with 4 more in the pipeline. Chennai already has 3 radars, and one more will be installed in Kolkata.

Dr. Singh emphasized that the upgradation will extend beyond metro cities to include other cities with populations exceeding 1 million, as well as tier-two towns and remote areas.

The Minister informed that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is embarking on a massive upgrade, incorporating advanced weather prediction models enhanced with long-period average (LPA) data. A high-performance computing (HPC) system with a capacity of 20 petaflops will be installed as part of this upgrade.

Dr. Singh praised the IMD for its efforts in sharing data with district authorities, the armed forces, and disaster management agencies, playing a crucial role in disaster risk reduction. The IMD is continuously improving its weather forecast systems to benefit the public with world-class technology.

He also highlighted the advantages of the new space and geospatial policies, including recently launched geoportals and their applications. He suggested similar efforts in weather forecasting to create a broader impact on society. He noted that while the criticality of forecasting systems may not be widely understood, they have significantly benefited fishermen in recent years.

Dr. Singh reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of empowering farmers, fishermen, and the general public through advanced weather forecasting systems.

Dr. Mrityunjay Mohapatra, Director General of IMD, and other senior officials from the IMD and the Ministry of Earth Sciences attended the meeting.