Lok Sabha Question No. 6176 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-04-04
Subject: Abnormal Weather Pattern
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: JAGDAMBIKA PAL

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 6176 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 04, 2018

## ABNORMAL WEATHER PATTERN

## 6176.   SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- whether the Government is aware of the abnormal weather pattern
- (a) prevailing in the country over the recent years;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the areas most affected by such conditions and the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether any action plan has been chalked out to tackle the adverse impact of abnormal weather conditions; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

- (a) No Madam.  The weather pattern prevailing in the country is normal. However  some  anomalous  weather  patterns  such  as  deficient monsoon rainfall, flood, cyclone, heat and cold waves etc do occur from time to time.
- (b) The Government  is monitoring the variability of the  weather phenomena  and  development  of  abnormal  weather  pattern  like deficient monsoon rainfall, flood, flash flood, cyclone, rain induced landslides,  heat/cold  wave,  etc.  on  a  continuous  basis.  Heavy  rain events (>10 cm/day) over central India are found to have increased in the recent decades while weak and moderate rainfall events are decreasing.  Heat  -waves  typically  occur  between  March  to  June. Heat  waves  are  more  frequent  over  the  Indo-Gangetic  plains  of India. There is an increase in heat wave frequency over central and northwest India.

Northern  and  eastern  states  such  as  Rajasthan,  Punjab,  Haryana, New  Delhi, Jammu  and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Tripura are affected by cold waves.

Indian sub-continent having a coast line of 7516 kms is affected by the Tropical Cyclones. There are 13 coastal states/UTs encompassing 84 coastal districts which are affected by cyclones. Four States (Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal) and one UT (Pondicherry) on the East Coast and One State (Gujarat) on  the  West  Coast  are  more  vulnerable  to  Tropical  Cyclones  and associated storm surge.

The states falling within the periphery of "India Flood Prone Areas" are  West  Bengal,  Orissa,  Andhra  Pradesh,  Kerala,  Assam,  Bihar, Gujarat,  Uttar  Pradesh,  Haryana  and  Punjab.  The  intense  rains during the monsoon season cause rivers like Brahmaputra, Ganga, Yamuna etc. to swell their banks, which in turn floods the adjacent areas.

- (c) Yes Madam.
- (d) IMD  is  responsible  for  monitoring,  detection  and  forecasting  of weather including severe weather events such as cyclones, heavy rainfall,  extreme  temperature  etc.  It  provides  forecast  of  these events at  national,  regional  and  state  levels  through  its  three  tier structure.

For effective operational cyclone activities, an appropriate institutional  mechanism  comprising  cyclone  warning  division  at India  Meteorological  Department  (IMD),  New  Delhi  and  three  Area Cyclone Warning Centers (ACWCs) at Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Cyclone Warning Centers (CWCs) at Bhubaneswar, Vishakhapatnam and Ahmadabad are functional on 24X7 basis.

In order to meet specific requirements of flood forecasting, which is provided by Central Water Commission (CWC), India Meteorological Department (IMD) operates Flood Meteorological Offices (FMOs) at thirteen  locations  viz.,  Agra,  Ahmedabad,  Asansol,  Bhubaneshwar, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jalpaiguri, Lucknow, New  Delhi, Patna, Srinagar, Bengaluru and Chennai. Apart from this, IMD also supports Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) by providing quantitative precipitation forecast (QPF) for Damodar river basin areas for their flood forecasting activities. During the flood season, FMOs provide valuable  meteorological  support  to  the  CWC  for  issuing flood warnings  in  respect  of  the  43  rivers  of  India  covering  146  river basins.  CWC  is  working  in  close  association  with  IMD  and  State Governments  for  timely  flood  forecast  whenever  the  river  water level rises above warning level.

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