Lok Sabha Question No. 6031 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-01
Subject: Strengthening Cyclone Forecasting and Early Warning Systems
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Smt. Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6031

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

## STRENGTHENING CYCLONE FORECASTING AND EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS

## 6031.   SMT. SANGEETA KUMARI SINGH DEO:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has undertaken any initiatives to further strengthen cyclone forecasting and early warning systems particularly for the Odisha coastline during the last three years;
- (b) the details of technological upgrades and observational infrastructure installed by the India Meteorological Department along the eastern coast, particularly in Odisha;
- (c) whether the additional Doppler Weather Radars, ocean buoys or coastal monitoring stations have been proposed for the State; and
- (d) the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  improve  accuracy  of  cyclone prediction and timely dissemination of warnings to vulnerable coastal communities?

## ANSWER

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

- (a)-(c)  Yes.  The  Government  has  been  taking  steps  to  strengthen  weather  forecasting techniques and early warning systems in the country. New techniques and technologies have been introduced from time to time to enhance cyclone forecasting and improve data  dissemination.  Mission  Mausam  has  been  launched  by  the  Ministry  with  the objective of making Bharat a "weather-ready and climate-smart" nation, including the State of Odisha.

At present, in Odisha, a total of 39 manned surface meteorological observatories, 29 Automated Weather Stations (AWS), 136 Automated Rain Gauges (ARG), and 6 High Wind Speed Recorders (HWSRs) are functional. In addition, six airports are equipped with automatic aviation weather stations and two manned observatories. Further, two Doppler Weather Radars (DWRs) located at Paradip and Gopalpur are operational on a round-the-clock basis. In addition, the State is also covered by DWRs installed in neighbouring  locations,  including  Kolkata,  Ranchi,  Raipur,  and  Visakhapatnam. Further details of DWRs along the eastern coast are given in Annexure-1.

The Ministry is  in  continuous  endeavour  of  augmenting  the  observational  network, including AWS, ARGs, Agro-AWS, DWRs, coastal monitoring stations, and research and development infrastructure, including Odisha, towards achieving better accuracy in weather and ocean-state forecasting, as well as to strengthen timely early warning systems.

- (d) Improvement in forecast  accuracy  is  a continuous  process.  In  this  regard,  the  India Meteorological  Department  (IMD),  under  the  Ministry,  undertakes  ongoing  efforts across various aspects of early warning services, including identification of gaps and measures  to  address  them. IMD's  cyclone  forecasting and  warning  system  is distinguished by its high accuracy in track and intensity prediction, achieved through state-of-the-art numerical weather prediction models, multi-model ensembles, advanced  data  assimilation  techniques,  and  continuous  monitoring  using  satellites, DWRs, ocean buoys,  and  coastal  observational  networks.  The  forecast  accuracy  of cyclone track, intensity, and landfall point increased in 2023 to 2025 by 15-45%, 1535%, and 10-30%, respectively, compared to 2020-2022, up to a lead period of 4 days. The Ministry's cyclone warning services are widely recognised at both national and international levels.

The Ministry has developed an end-to-end GIS-based Decision Support System (DSS) that  serves  as  the  front-end  platform  for  early  warning  systems  for  severe  weather events,  including  cyclones.  It  facilitates  the  detection  and  monitoring  of  weather hazards across the country, including the Odisha coastline. The system is integrated with modern telecommunications technologies to ensure the timely dissemination of information. The effective dissemination methods adopted by the Ministry for weather, ocean services, and earth sciences information and alerts across the country, including vulnerable coastal communities, are as follows:

-  Public alerts and information are disseminated through mobile applications such as MAUSAM, MEGHDOOT, DAMINI, and UMANG.
-  Digital dissemination channels include e-mail and SMS-based nowcasting and forecasting alerts to registered users.
-  Alerts  are  issued  through  the  Common  Alerting  Protocol  (CAP)  and  the SACHET App.
-  Information is shared via social media and mass media platforms.
-  District  Collectors  are  informed  through  direct  e-mail  and  WhatsApp  group notifications, in coordination with the Odisha State Government.
-  Broadcast  dissemination  is  carried  out  through  community  radio,  public broadcasting systems, and other local communication networks.
-  Dissemination is also undertaken through State Government mobile applications.
-  Gram  Panchayat-level  weather  forecasting  (GPLWF)  is  facilitated  through digital platforms such as e-Gramswaraj, Meri Panchayat App, and e-Manchitra, in collaboration with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
-  Weather forecasts are accessible through the Mausamgram portal of the India Meteorological Department.
-  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  the  subsequent  week's  rainfall  and temperature outlook at the meteorological sub-division level.
-  Ocean-based  early  warning  advisories  for  maritime  hazards,  such  as  high waves, strong currents, swell surges, storm surges, and tsunamis.
-  Provides operational support during maritime emergencies through the Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT) and oil-spill trajectory advisories.
-  Maintaining the ocean observation buoys network over the Arabian Sea and Bay of  Bengal,  data  from  which  are  utilised  for  strengthening  climate  resilience, disaster risk reduction, marine weather forecasting, and coastal zone management.
-  A wide range of ocean-based early warning and advisory services to support disaster risk reduction and coastal safety.
-  Issues comprehensive 10-day ocean-state forecasts covering all major oceanographic parameters for all coastal States and districts, including Odisha.

Annexure-1 List of DWRs (location-wise) operational across the east coast of India is as follows:

|   S. No. | State/Union Territory   | DWRLocations               |
|----------|-------------------------|----------------------------|
|        1 | West Bengal             | Kolkata (S-Band)           |
|        2 | Odisha                  | Gopalpur (S-Band)          |
|        3 | Odisha                  | Paradip (S-Band)           |
|        4 | Andhra Pradesh          | Machilipatnam (S-Band)     |
|        5 | Andhra Pradesh          | Visakhapatnam (S-Band)     |
|        6 | Andhra Pradesh          | Sriharikota, ISRO (S-Band) |
|        7 | Tamil Nadu              | Chennai (S-Band)           |
|        8 | Tamil Nadu              | Karaikal (S-Band)          |
|        9 | Tamil Nadu              | NIOT Chennai (X-Band)      |

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