Lok Sabha Question No. 3107 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-14
Subject: Expansion of Forecast Facilities
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: ASADUDDIN OWAISI, T.G. VENKATESH BABU

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3107

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018

## EXPANSION OF FORECAST FACILITIES

## 3107. SHRI ASADUDDIN OWAISI:

SHRI VENKATESH BABU T.G.:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) the names of districts in the country where IMD weather forecasting facility is presently available, State-wise;
- (b) whether the IMD has any proposal to expand its weather forecasting  throughout  the  country  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof and the action taken for the purpose;
- (c) whether at present country's capacity to predict extreme weather phenomena  is  restricted  to  the  district  level  which  elude  the benefit to farmers and citizens;
- (d) if  so,  whether  IMD  is  going  to  extend  its  high-tech  forecast facilities down to the block and village level by extending its SMS alert system to 21 million farmers;
- (e) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  weather  Government  is  going  to commission  Mihir  a  high  performance  computer  for  weather forecast; and
- (f) if so, the time by which its benefits are likely to be derived to give boost to farmers and citizens and other steps taken or being taken by the Government for accurate weather forecast?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) District wise weather forecasting offices not existing in IMD. However, at  each  state  capital,  there  is  a  Meteorological  Centre  of  IMD.    IMD issues  district  level  forecasts  and  warnings  for  all  the  districts  daily, valid  for  next  3  days  through  its  Meteorological  Centres  (MCs)  and Regional Meteorological Centres (RMCs) from respective state capitals. In case of cyclones, the district level forecast is issued by the cyclone warning  centres  at  Ahmedabad,  Mumbai,  Chennai,  Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata, covering all coastal districts.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) under Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)  through  'Gramin  Krishi  Mausan  Seva  (GKMS)'  scheme  issues district level agrometeorological advisory services for all the districts in the  country.  Based  on  the  weather  forecast,  district  level  Agromet Advisories  are  prepared  in  collaboration  with  130  Agromet  Field  Units (AMFUs)  located  at  State  Agricultural  Universities,  institutes  of  ICAR and IITs twice a week, viz. on every Thursday and Friday.

- (b) IMD  already  has  its  weather  forecasting  services  covering  the  whole country.
- (c) Yes Madam

(d) At  present,  22.7  million  farmers  in  the  country  receive  the  Agromet Advisories through SMS directly. IMD is planning to introduce experimental block level forecasts in some districts and their dissemination of advisories to farmers through SMS.

- (e) Mihir  and  Pratyush  High  Performance  Computer clusters, have already been  commissioned  for  initiating  R  &  D  efforts  for  introduction  of experimental block level advisories for farmers.

(f) Efforts  for  improvement  in  the  accuracy  of  weather  forecast  is  a continuous process through upgradation of weather forecasting models and observational network.

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