Lok Sabha Question No. 1618 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-30
Subject: Automated Weather Stations
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Thiru Dayanidhi Maran

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1618 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 30 TH  JULY, 2025

## AUTOMATED WEATHER STATIONS

## 1618.   THIRU DAYANIDHI MARAN:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  plans  to  expand  the  installation  of  Automated  Weather Stations  (AWS)  and  doppler  radars  in  Tamil  Nadu,  particularly  in  flood-prone  coastal districts such as Chennai, Cuddalore and Nagapattinam, if so, the timeline and details of such installations, location-wise;
- (b) whether  there  is  a  dedicated  strategy  to  enhance  Nowcast  and  short-range  weather forecasting  accuracy  for  vulnerable  geographies  in  Tamil  Nadu  including  the  Western Ghats and delta regions and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government is planning to collaborate with the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority (TNSDMA) and local panchayats to integrate real-time weather alerts  and  vulnerability  mapping  to  improve  flood  preparedness  and  minimise  habitatlevel damage and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) whether the Government proposes to make Tamil-language versions of the IMD mobile app and farmer-specific forecast platforms available  to  improve accessibility for Tamil Nadu's rural population and agricultural workers and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Yes. The Government has been continuously updating and expanding the meteorological observation  network  consisting  of  Automated  Weather  Stations  (AWS)  and  Doppler Weather Radars (DWRs) in Tamil Nadu, including its flood-prone coastal districts such as  Chennai,  Cuddalore,  and  Nagapattinam.  Currently,  there  are    65  AWSs  and  80 Automatic  Rain  Gauge  (ARG)  stations  in  the  State  of  Tamil  Nadu  covering  all  38 districts. In the flood-prone coastal districts Chennai, Cuddalore, and Nagapattinam, there are  3,  3,  and  2  AWSs,  respectively,  and  5,  2,  and  1  ARGs,  respectively.  Under  the Mission  Mausam  and  Panchayat  level  Mausam  Seva,  the  observation  network  in  the entire country will be augmented further in the coming years, as per the requirement.
- (b) Yes.  For  Tamil  Nadu,  there  is  a  dedicated  strategy  to  provide  effective  Nowcast  and short-range weather forecasting with reasonable accuracy for all vulnerable geographies in Tamil Nadu. Under this strategy, presently IMD is using various high-resolution wind, clouds, and rain-related products from satellites, and 6 DWRs (2 at Chennai, one each at Sriharikota, Karaikal, Kochi & Thiruvananthapuram). Surface weather parameters from a total  of  65  AWSs  &  80  ARGs  are  also  used.  Besides  these  multi-observational-based Nowcast  systems,  various  meso-scale  models  (HRRR  and  E-WRF),  which  assimilate RADAR data, are also regularly run at a resolution of 2km for providing round-the-clock

Nowcast and short-range weather warning guidance. DWR Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram provide inputs over the Western Ghat districts, and DWR Karaikal for the delta districts. DWRs under Mission Mausam also provide crucial inputs in better monitoring  of  heavy  rainfall  events  over  the  western  ghat  areas.  The  newly  launched Bharat Forecast System (BFS) has a very high spatial resolution of 6 km, which will help in  generating  forecasts  at  the  panchayat/cluster  of  panchayats  level  for  the  public, farmers, disaster managers, and other stakeholders.

- (c) Yes. The India Meteorological Department has been interacting and collaborating with the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority (TNSDMA) to reduce meteorological disaster risk. Regular review and preparedness meetings are conducted for continuous improvement of the early warning systems, e.g., Impact based forecast, Urban Met services, etc., for vulnerable  severe weather  like  monsoonal heavy rainfall events, tropical cyclones, etc., impacting the States. Also, in real time, IMD has been regularly sharing all bulletins and warnings against all types of severe weather on a real-time basis, e.g.,  district  level,  colour-coded,  impact-based  warnings  for  severe  weather  due  to tropical cyclones & heavy rainfall. Sector-specific warnings are also issued for aviation, agriculture, fishing & marine communities & ports. Regarding flood warning, the Central Water Commission (CWC) is mandated to issue 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.
- (d) Yes. The Government has been working to make Tamil-language versions of the IMD mobile app and farmer-specific forecast platforms available to improve accessibility for Tamil Nadu's rural population and agricultural workers. There are ongoing initiatives to improve  the  accessibility  of  weather-based  services  for  Tamil  Nadu's  rural  population and  agricultural  workers.  A  mobile  application  named  'Uzhavar',  developed  by  the Department of Agriculture, Government of Tamil Nadu, and managed by the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation, currently has over 18 lakh registered farmers. District-level Agromet Advisories issued jointly by IMD, ICAR & State Agricultural Department and Agricultural University through the Agromet Field Units (AMFUs) are made available in Tamil  language  for  all  districts  through  the  'Uzhavar'  App.  In  addition,  block-level weather forecasts for the next six days are also provided in Tamil for all blocks across the State.  Furthermore,  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  Government  of  Tamil  Nadu,  has established approximately 1,456 WhatsApp groups at district, block, and village levels, comprising more than 1 lakh farmers. The information flow is systematically structuredFirst  shared  with  district-level  groups,  then  disseminated  to  block-level  groups,  and finally forwarded to village-level groups. This three-tiered dissemination system ensures that  real-time  weather  updates,  warnings,  and  agromet  advisories  reach  end  users efficiently. Thus, multiple  platforms,  including  the  Uzhavar  App  and  WhatsApp networks, are being effectively utilized for farmer-centric weather communication in the Tamil language.

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