The weather forecasting accuracy of the meteorological department has improved the around 40% in the past eight to nine years, according to the minister.
The number of doppler radars in the country has increased from 15 in 2013 to 37 in 2023 and the minister informed that India will add 25 more radars in the next two to three years which will take the number to around 62. "The entire country will be covered by doppler radars by 2025," he said.
To bolster its weather forecasting capabilities in the Himalayan region, the IMD on Sunday commissioned four doppler radars in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir. The weather department has installed the four doppler radars at Banihal Top in Jammu and Kashmir, Jot and Murari Devi in Himachal Pradesh, and Surkanada Devi in Uttarakhand.
Doppler radar is a specialized tracking system that uses the Doppler effect to track weather conditions and calculate information about the location and velocity of a storm or other forms of extreme weather events. Forecasting with the help of doppler radar is more timely and accurate which can be critical during safe evacuations in the likelihood of extreme weather events.
According to the Annual Statement on Climate of India 2022 issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the country reported the highest number of human casualties due to extreme weather events in three years. The year 2022 saw 2,227 extreme weather-related deaths in India.
As per the earlier reports from the weather department, the number of casualties was 1,750 in 2021 and 1,338 in 2020.
(With inputs from PTI)
