By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 12 Dec: Government of Uttarakhand signed an MoU for the setting up of weather stations and development of a real-time weather information system. This system is intended to minimise the risks of rain and weather-related disasters in the state and for mitigation of disasters. The agreement between the Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) and the Meteorological Centre (IMD) has been extended for the next five years.
Secretary, Disaster Management, Dr Ranjit Kumar Sinha signed the MoU on behalf of the state government while Director of the Meteorological Centre, Bikram Singh signed the MoU on behalf of the IMD. This MoU is for cooperation, coordination and assistance in pre-disaster, during and post-disaster situations in the state. Additional Secretary Savin Bansal was also present on the occasion.
Under the MoU, guidance and guidelines will be provided on site selection, installation, testing and operation of Automatic Weather Stations, Automatic Rain Gauges, Automated Snow Gauges and Compact Doppler Radars selected by IMD. IMD will also assist the USDMA in final inspection of the entire system. The USDMA will, however, be solely responsible for the upkeep of the said equipment. The data received from these devices will be sent directly to IMD’s servers for processing. Along with this, USDMA will get real time online access to other meteorological instruments installed by IMD in Uttarakhand.
On this occasion, Secretary, Disaster Management, Dr Ranjit Kumar Sinha said that Uttarakhand is a disaster sensitive state. Uttarakhand has a high risk of rain-related disasters like landslides, floods and lightning strikes, he observed.
Sinha said, “IMD is an important organisation of the Union Government whose network is now spread across the country. In the last few years, the network of IMD has been intensified in Uttarakhand. This MoU is a new initiative between the Meteorological Centre of the Union Government and the USDMA. Here a central agency is partnering with the state to make effective arrangements for disaster management according to the needs of the state. Recently, many progressive works have been done in the field of meteorology. Even more progress has been made in satellite systems and radar systems. Now, IMD’s forecast is considered far more accurate as compared to the past. But there is scope of further improving upon precision. We now need location specific information, so that wherever there is a possibility of disaster, the system of disaster management should be alert and ready in advance.”
Two radar systems have been installed in the state at Surkanda Devi and Mukteshwar and another radar system is being installed at Lansdowne. By intensifying the radar system in the state, location specific information will be available. Location specific information can also be obtained by combining lightning radar and automated doppler radar.
