Lok Sabha Question No. 616 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-23
Subject: Strengthening Weather Forecasting
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Thiru D M Kathir Anand

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 616

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 23 RD  JULY, 2025

## STRENGTHENING WEATHER FORECASTING

## 616.    THIRU D M KATHIR ANAND:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  put  in  place  any  advanced  technology  or  monsoon prediction models and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the effective measures taken to strengthen coastal flood defenses;
- (c) whether the Government plans to expand seismic monitoring networks, if so, the details thereof and their impact on disaster resilience;
- (d) whether the Government has any advanced weather forecasting facilities available in the Vellore Lok Sabha constituency and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether  the  Government  has  made  any  arrangements  for  common  people  particularly farmers to receive timely weather forecast alerts including monsoon rains and if so, the details thereof;
- (f) the steps taken to protect the people and farmers against droughts; and
- (g) the timeline for installing advanced weather stations locally?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a) Yes. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has been using advanced technology for  operational  monsoon  prediction.  Since  2017,  IMD  has  been  using  the  Monsoon Mission Climate Forecast System (MMCFS), a state-of-the-art coupled oceanatmosphere  model,  to  generate  high-resolution  (~38km)  seasonal  and  monthly  rainfall and temperature forecasts. The MMCFS model is used for the preparation of the monthly El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) bulletin. Since 2021, IMD has adopted a new strategy for issuing monthly and seasonal operational forecasts for  the  southwest  monsoon  rainfall  over  the  country  based  on  both  the  statistical forecasting  system  and  the  newly  developed  Multi-Model  Ensemble  (MME)  based forecasting  system.  The  MME  approach  uses  the  coupled  global  climate  models (CGCMs) from different global climate prediction and research centres, including IMD's Monsoon  Mission  Climate  Forecasting  System  (MMCFS)  model.  The  MMCFS  and MME data are updated every month. This was to satisfy the demands from different users and Government authorities for forecasting  the  spatial  distribution  of  seasonal  rainfall, along  with  the  regionally  averaged  rainfall  forecasts  for  better  regional  planning  of activities.

For  the  short-range  forecasting,  IMD  has  recently  unveiled  the  Bharat  Forecasting System-the world's highest-resolution operational weather model, operating on a 6 km grid. This is a major leap forward in India's weather prediction capabilities, especially for localised  forecasts.  Previously,  IMD  operated  numerical  models  with  a  resolution  of  9 km, which provided district-level forecasts. While effective, these models had limitations in  capturing  small-scale  weather  variations  that  significantly  affect  local  communities, agriculture, and disaster response.

- (b) Coastal flood defenses predominantly include the construction of Sea walls/ Revetments/Embankments, etc., and these works are planned & executed by respective Maritime  States/UT  Governments, as  per  their  requirements.  The  Central  Government only plays a promotional, advisory & catalytic role. These projects are generally funded by  States/UTs  from  their  own  source  of  funds  or  through  multilateral  funding/Central Assistance.

However,  the  Central  Government  has  taken  certain  initiatives  to  support  efforts  in addressing coastal flooding by facilitating access to scientific data. One such measure is the  development  of  the  Coastal  Management  Information  System  (CMIS),  which facilitates the collection of critical coastal data to support informed decision-making by stakeholders.

CMIS was initiated by the Government of India during the 12 th Five-Year Plan to address the challenges of coastal erosion through a scientific and data-driven approach. Recognizing  the  absence  of  a  dedicated  coastal  data  repository,  CMIS  was  planned  to systematically collect and analyze key coastal parameters.

Under CMIS, nine (9) key coastal data are being collected viz. (i) Wave data (ii) Ocean Current (iii) Bathymetry (iv) Beach Profile (v) Shoreline change (vi) Riverine data (vii) Wind and rainfall data (viii) Tides (ix) Onshore and Offshore sediment data at Eight (8) locations along the Indian coastline.

Details of CMIS sites are as given below:

-  Nanidanti-Motidanti (Gujarat) Satpati (Maharashtra)
-  Malvan (Maharashtra)
-  Baga (Goa)
-  Benaulim (Goa)
-  Ponnani (Kerala)
-  Devaneri (Tamil Nadu)
-  Karaikal (Pondicherry)

Another important objective of CMIS is to support effective coastal protection planning, erosion mitigation, and climate adaptation by providing reliable, site-specific data.

As  a  non-structural  measure  of  flood  management,  the  Central  Water  Commission (CWC) issues short-range flood forecasts with a lead time of up to 24 hours to concerned State Governments at identified locations. Timely flood forecasts are being issued when a certain threshold limit is reached.

- (c) Yes. The Government of India, through the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), is expanding its seismic monitoring network by adding  100  seismic  observatories.  Expansion  of  the  seismic  monitoring  network  will significantly boost India's disaster resilience by enabling faster dissemination of earthquake information to initiate disaster relief activities.  Also,  the  earthquake  data  is used for seismic hazard assessment, which in turn will be used in the smarter planning and safer infrastructure through seismic microzonation studies.
- (d) Yes. The Vellore Lok Sabha constituency has a departmental meteorological office with meteorological  monitoring  and  observational  facilities.  IMD  has  also  established  a meteorological  facility  in  Vellore  Airport  to  provide  airport  met  services  through  an online  briefing  system.  One  Automatic  Weather  Station  (AWS)  is  also  functional  at Krishi  Vigyan  Kendra, Vrinchipuram, in  Vellore district,  providing weather  data  at  15 15-minute intervals. A meteorological facility has been set up in a Mobile van in Vellore Airport, as commercial operations are yet to start. But, there is an existing provision to provide current weather data when required.
- (e)-(f)  IMD  runs  a  scheme,  viz.  Gramin  Krishi  Mausam  Sewa  (GKMS)  to  render  weather forecast-based operational  Agrometeorological  Advisory  Services (AAS)  involving several  leading  organizations such as  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research  (ICAR), State  Agriculture  Universities  (SAUs),  Indian  Institute  of  Technology  (IIT),  State agriculture  departments,  NGOs,  etc.,  for  the  benefit  of  the  farming  community.  This scheme  assists farmers in making  informed  decisions regarding their day-to-day agricultural  operations  for minimizing  crop  damage  and  losses  due  to  unusual  weather and taking advantage of favorable weather and climatic conditions.

Under  GKMS,  130  Agromet  Field  Units  (AMFUs)  covering  127  agroclimatic  zones located at various SAUs, IITs, institutes of ICAR, etc., are operational across the country. IMD  provides medium-range weather forecasts for rainfall, temperature, relative humidity, cloud cover, wind speed, and direction at district and block levels for the next five days, along with subsequent week  rainfall and temperature outlook at the meteorological  sub-division  level.  Based  on  observed  and  forecasted  weather,  AMFUs prepare  biweekly  Agromet  Advisories  (every  Tuesday  and  Friday)  for  their  respective districts  to  help  the  farming  community  make  appropriate  decisions  about  crop  and variety selection, sowing, harvesting, irrigation, and fertilizer application.

Along with the biweekly bulletins, daily weather forecast and  nowcast  information are also issued by the Regional Meteorological Centers (RMCs) and Meteorological Centers (MCs) of IMD. Impact-based forecasts (IBFs) for agriculture are also being prepared by AMFUs based on the severe weather warnings for different districts of various States and UTs  across  the  country  issued  by  the  National  Weather  Forecasting  Centre  (NWFC), New Delhi, and RMCs and MCs of IMD.

The Agromet Services mentioned above take care of the impact on different crops due to extreme  weather  conditions,  including  deficient rainfall/dry spells  along with the necessary guidelines for farming operations during such occasions.

To  provide  timely  weather  forecast  alerts,  including  information  on  monsoon  rains, weather forecast, and Agromet advisories, a multichannel dissemination system is being used,  including  print  and  electronic  media,  Doordarshan,  radio,  internet,  and  SMS through Kisan Portal and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives. SMS-based alerts and  warnings  along  with  suitable  remedial  measures,  are  being  sent  during  extreme weather events like cyclones, deep depressions, etc., through the Kisan Portal. Technological  advancements  have  further  enhanced  accessibility,  enabling  farmers  to receive location-specific forecasts and advisories through mobile apps such as 'Meghdoot' and 'Mausam', and Social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, etc. Additionally, IMD has  integrated  its  services  with  IT  platforms  of  18  State  Governments,  allowing farmers to access information in both English and regional languages.

IMD, in collaboration with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), has recently launched Panchayat-level weather forecasts covering nearly all Gram Panchayats in India. These forecasts are accessible through digital platforms such as e-Gramswaraj (https://egramswaraj.gov.in), Meri Panchayat app, e-Manchitra of MoPR, and Mausamgram  of  IMD,  MoES  (https://mausamgram.imd.gov.in).  To  enhance  the  reach and  effectiveness  of  the  GKMS  services,  IMD  is  actively  engaging  with  various stakeholders,  including  state  agriculture  departments,  NGOs,  and  SAUs,  to  create awareness among the farming community by organizing Farmers' Awareness Programs (FAPs) in collaboration with AMFUs  across different regions of the country. Additionally,  IMD,  along  with  experts  from  AMFUs,  actively  participates  in  Kisan Melas,  Farmers'  Day  Programmes,  and  field  visits,  facilitating  direct  interaction  with farmers to promote the utilization of these weather-based agricultural advisory services, thereby maximizing their benefits for the farming community.

- (g) The automatic weather stations (AWS) are installed as per the requirement. So far, 1008 AWS, 1382 Automatic Rain Guages, and 200 Agro AWS have been installed across the country.

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