Lok Sabha Question No. 6057 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-01
Subject: Climate Monitoring Data
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Shri Suresh Kumar Shetkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6057

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 1 ST  APRIL, 2026

## CLIMATE MONITORING DATA

## 6057.   SHRI SURESH KUMAR SHETKAR:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the climate monitoring data is being integrated in real time with national and State disaster response agencies to enable quicker evacuation and mitigation measures and if so, the details thereof along with operational framework;
- (b) whether adequate budgetary allocation has been made for strengthening supercomputing infrastructure required for high-resolution climate modelling and longterm  forecasting  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  financial  outlay  and procurement status;
- (c) whether  India  is  collaborating  with  international  climate  research  institutions  for improved  seasonal  forecasting  and  early  warning  systems  and  if  so,  the  details  of agreements and technological exchanges undertaken;
- (d) whether specialised monitoring mechanisms have been introduced to track rising urban heat island effects and air quality-related climatic changes in metropolitan cities and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether  a  future-ready  National  Climate  Surveillance  Grid  is  being  developed  to provide predictive analytics on heatwaves, extreme rainfall, drought cycles and sealevel  rise  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  implementation  roadmap  and coordination mechanism?

## 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), under the Ministry, has undertaken district-wise and long-term analysis of rainfall variability and trends across the country, which are critical for assessing drought and flood risks. IMD has been issuing impactbased  forecasts  and  early  warnings  for  extreme  weather  events  such  as  cyclones, heatwaves, cold waves, and heavy rainfall, enabling quicker evacuations and mitigation measures.  IMD  and  associated  institutions  have  contributed  to  climate  risk  and vulnerability assessments, including analysis of monsoon variability, extreme rainfall events,  heat  waves,  cold  waves,  and  cyclone  characteristics.  IMD  provides  early warning services for all weather extremes, using the above-mentioned information and data, to national and State disaster response agencies to enable quicker evacuation and mitigation measures.
- (b) Yes. The Ministry has installed HPC systems, namely 'Arka' at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, and 'Arunika' at the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting, Noida. These supercomputing systems support high-resolution climate modeling and long-term forecasting.
- (c) Yes.  India  Meteorological  Department,  under  the  Ministry  of  Earth  Sciences,  is  an active  member  of  the  World  Meteorological  Organization  (WMO)  and  plays  a significant  role  in  regional  and  global  meteorological  cooperation.  IMD  provides seasonal and monthly forecasts based on the multi-model ensemble techniques. The models  used  for  this  purpose  include  the  Monsoon  Mission  Coupled  Forecasting System (MMCFS) of MoES and other international ocean-atmosphere coupled climate forecast models.

IMD hosts the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC), New Delhi, which provides tropical cyclone forecasting and advisory services for the North Indian Ocean region, benefiting several countries in South  Asia.  IMD is also a WMO-recognized Regional  Climate  Centre  (RCC)  for  the  Asia  region,  contributing  to  long-range forecasting, climate diagnostics, and capacity building at the WMO Regional Training Center  (RTC).  The  operationalization  of  the  South  Asian  Climate  Outlook  Forum (SASCOF)  in  2010  focuses  on  addressing  the  climate  information  requirements  of countries  influenced  by  the  Asian  southwest  monsoon  by  providing  regionally coordinated  and  consensus-based  seasonal  climate  outlooks.  Recently,  IMD  has achieved the status of  a  Global  Producing  Centre  (GPC)  for  Long-Range  Forecasts under WMO.

Further, IMD actively organizes and contributes to regional climate outlook initiatives such  as  the  South  Asian  Climate  Outlook  Forum,  which  provides  consensus-based seasonal forecasts for South Asia, and the recently initiated Third Pole Climate Outlook Forum, focusing on  the  Himalayan  region  and  associated  cryospheric  processes.  In addition,  institutions  under  the  Ministry  of  Earth  Sciences  (MoES)  are  engaged  in various  national  and  international  collaborations  under  different  projects.  These include:  Momentum  Partnership  (UKMO,  UK);  WCSSP-India  (UKMO,  UK); BIMSTEC  Centre  for  Weather  and  Climate  (BCWC);  University  of  Colorado  at Boulder (USA); ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute), Kenya; Northeastern University (USA); The University of Texas at Austin (USA); University of Victoria (Canada); Florida State University (USA); and Columbia University (USA).

These collaborations involve the exchange of meteorological data, numerical weather prediction  models,  satellite  observations,  and  capacity-building  initiatives,  thereby strengthening India's capabilities in seasonal forecasting, cyclone prediction, and multihazard early warning systems. The above efforts are aligned with global initiatives such as WMO's "Early Warnings for All" and contribute to enhanced disaster preparedness and climate resilience in the region.

- (d) Yes. The observational systems of IMD are utilized to monitor urban heat island effects in metropolitan cities. Specialized urban meteorological services are being provided by IMD for 150 cities (https://internal.imd.gov.in/pages/city\_weather\_main\_mausam.php). It includes a realtime monitoring of temperature and heat waves over the cities. Also, IMD provides city-specific forecasts for severe weather for about 100 cities and air quality forecasts for 47 cities (https://nwp.imd.gov.in/silam\_imd.php).

Heat Action Plans (HAPs) in 23 States and cities within, prone to heatwave conditions, are jointly implemented by the national disaster management authority in collaboration with the State Governments. HAPs also suggest long-term measures like tree planting, using heat-resistant building materials to reduce the urban heat island effect, and using cool  roofing  technologies  to  reduce  solar  absorption,  thereby  decreasing  indoor temperatures  for  different  stakeholders,  including  government  agencies,  healthcare providers, and emergency services.

The  IMD  issues  special  heat  wave  warning  bulletins  and  impact  based  heatwave forecasts, providing details of guidelines or advisories for adopting heat-resilient urban planning  measures  such  as  cool  roofs,  urban  forests,  water  bodies  and  reflective infrastructure  at  meteorological  sub-division  and  district  levels  to  various  users, including  the  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs,  National  Disaster  Management  Authority, State Disaster Management Authorities, Deputy Commissioners/District Magistrates, health departments, Indian Railways, road transport, and the media.

Since  2023,  IMD  has  also  commenced  issuing  seasonal  and  monthly  Heatwave Outlooks  to  enable  proactive  measures  in  reducing  heatwave-related  risks  across various  parts  of  the  country.  IMD  communicates  all  forecasts,  including  heat  wave information, to the end user through offline and online media. Additionally, dedicated State  websites  provide  district-specific  heat  wave  information,  and  sector-specific bulletins are also available for the health and agriculture sectors. The latest outlook is available at https://imdpune.gov.in/latestnews/winter\_outlook\_Dec2025\_Feb2026.pdf

- (e) IMD has carried out hazard and vulnerability analysis with respect to heat waves, heavy rainfall,  cyclones,  droughts,  etc.  The  same  is  available  on  the  IMD  website  at https://imdpune.gov.in/hazardatlas/index.html. IMD provides daily heatwave warnings during the summer season based on various predictive analytics, including heatwave /severe heatwave, hot and humid day, warm night, extreme temperature (90th, 95th, and 99th percentile of both maximum and minimum temperature, heat index based on relative humidity and wind, and the composite index valid up to 5 to 7 days. The impact expected and action suggested are also included in the forecast bulletins.

Further, Mission Mausam and the National Framework for Climate Services (NFCS)India integrate predictive analytics using IMDAA reanalysis, Mithuna-FS models, and AI/ML ensembles for assessment of heatwaves (district-level probabilities), extreme rainfall (6 km convection-permitting scale), drought cycles (S2S using NCUM), and sea-level rise (coupled ocean models). NFCS-India is the national adaptation of the World Meteorological Organization's Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS).

Future projections of extreme temperatures, rainfall, and sea-level rise over India are derived  using  India's  first  Earth  System  Model,  IITM-ESM,  within  the  CMIP framework under different future pathways.

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