Lok Sabha Question No. 5338 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Advanced Meteorological Infrastructure
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Dr. Kadiyam Kavya

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5338

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 25 TH  MARCH, 2026

## ADVANCED METEOROLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

## 5338.   DR. KADIYAM KAVYA:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the advanced meteorological infrastructure including Doppler Weather Radar coverage, Automatic Weather Stations and flood forecasting systems are operational in Warangal district of Telangana and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the details of the number of extreme weather alerts, heavy rainfall warnings and flood advisories  issued  for  Warangal  district  during  the  last  three  years  along  with  the dissemination mechanism adopted for timely communication to local authorities and the public;
- (c) whether any proposal exists to strengthen weather forecasting, lightning detection and climate resilience systems in Warangal particularly in view of increasing instances of extreme weather events and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the details of funds allocated and utilised for such initiatives in Telangana including district-level interventions in Warangal?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Yes. Advanced meteorological infrastructure is operational in the Warangal district of Telangana. Five Automatic Weather Stations / Automatic Rain Gauges (Hanamkonda, Mamnoor-KVK,  Siddhapur,  PTO  Warangal,  and  Mulugu)  are  operational  in  the district. There is no Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) installed in the Warangal district. The nearest operational S-Band DWRs are installed at Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. Their  radial  coverage  extends  up  to  about  400  km,  covering  Warangal  and  the surrounding areas and enabling monitoring of regions without local installations.

The Central Water Commission (CWC) is mandated to issue flood forecasts to the concerned State Governments at identified locations. There are no Flood Forecasting (FF) systems of the CWC in the Warangal district. However, FF stations are located in the adjacent districts, namely Mulugu, Jayashankar Bhupalapally, and Mahabubabad. In  addition,  the  CWC's  Real  Time  Data  Acquisition  System  (RTDAS)  stations  in Mulugu and Jayashankar Bhupalapally-each having one Level Forecast Station and one Inflow Forecast Station-support flood monitoring in Warangal district.

- (b) Yes.  The  Government  adopts  various  dissemination  mechanisms  to  ensure  timely communication, including alerts and warnings, reaches all concerned, enabling local authorities, State Governments, State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs), the National  Disaster  Management  Authority  (NDMA),  the  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs (MHA), and the public to take appropriate mitigation measures. The number of alerts, advisories, forecasts, and bulletins issued regarding extreme weather conditions, such as heavy rainfall and floods in Telangana, including Warangal, over the last three years is provided in Annexure-1.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has developed advanced early warning systems for severe weather events, including heavy rainfall. These systems are supported by a state-of-the-art  observation  network  comprising  surface  and  upper-air  observations, remote  sensing,  high-resolution  dynamical  models,  and  an  end-to-end  GIS-based Decision Support System (DSS) developed by MoES institutions, which serves as the front  end  for  early  warning  systems to enable  detection and monitoring  of  weather hazards across the country. The system is integrated with modern telecommunications technologies to ensure the timely dissemination of information. Effective dissemination methods for weather information and alerts by the MoES 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  Telangana  Integrated  Command  and Control Centre (ICCC) of the Police Department.
-  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 information is disseminated to Pashu Sakhi and Krishi Sakhi at the block  and  Panchayat  levels  in  collaboration  with  the  Ministry  of  Rural Development.
-  Forecasts are accessible through the Mausamgram  portal  of  the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The Division Flood Control Rooms (DFCRs) at the Regional Offices of the CWC issue flood forecasts to stations under their jurisdiction during the flood season, based on heavy rainfall warnings and quantitative precipitation forecasts provided by the India Meteorological Department under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. The Central Flood Control Room (CFCR) at CWC Headquarters issues daily flood bulletins, including red and orange bulletins, to all States and to central agencies such as the NDMA and the MHA.

CWC is currently  providing  a  seven-day  advisory  flood  forecast  on  its  web  portal https://aff.india-water.gov.in/  through pan-India rainfall-based mathematical modeling for major river basins of the country. CWC takes immense steps and adopts various dissemination mechanisms to get maximum reach to the flood warnings produced, so that mitigation measures can be adopted by State Governments, SDMA, NDMA, and the public. The flood forecasts formulated by CWC are disseminated to all stakeholders through  the  Flood  Forecasting  Website  (https://ffs.india-water.gov.in/)/FloodWatch India 2.0 App/E-mail/Whatsapp/Facebook-CWCOfficial.FF/X-CWCOfficial\_FF, Youtube-CWC Flood updates, and CAP Alert through the NDMA Sachet portal.

- (c) 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 Telangana. The Ministry is in continuous endeavour of augmenting the observational, including the  lightning  detection  network  and  R&D  infrastructure,  towards  achieving  better accuracy in weather forecasting.

IMD has also brought out a web-based "Climate Hazard & Vulnerability Atlas of India" prepared for the thirteen most hazardous meteorological events, which cause extensive damage  and  economic,  human,  and  animal  losses.  The  same  can  be  accessed  at https://imdpune.gov.in/hazardatlas/abouthazard.html.  The  atlas  provides  information that  may  assist  State  Government  authorities  and  disaster  management  agencies  in identifying potential hotspots and in planning appropriate measures to address extreme weather events caused by climate change. The product also serves as a reference for efforts related to climate-resilient infrastructure planning.

- (d) The  Ministry  implements  Central  Sector  Schemes  uniformly  across  the  country; therefore, the allocation of funds is not made on a State-wise basis. Funds under these schemes  are  not  released  directly  by  the  MoES  to  the  State  Governments  for implementation.

Daily routine forecasts issued for Telangana, including Warangal:

| Forecast issued (Type)                | No. of Bulletins issued (2023-25)   |
|---------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| Seven-day forecast                    | 4,380                               |
| Zonal forecasts                       | 1,094                               |
| Nowcast for districts                 | 11,680                              |
| Agro-meteorological advisory services | 1,408                               |

Special bulletins during extreme weather conditions in Telangana, including Warangal:

| Bulletin Type                                                     |   No. of Bulletins issued (2023-25) |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| Advisory bulletin                                                 |                                  13 |
| Alert bulletin                                                    |                                  27 |
| Impact-based forecast bulletin                                    |                                 305 |
| Agro-meteorological advisory services with severe weather warning |                                 205 |
| Special bulletin of severe weather for the Chief Secretary        |                                  45 |

The number of flood forecasts issued to the Flood Forecasting (FF) stations  in  Telangana, including Warangal:

| Forecast Type   |   No. of forecasts issued (2023-25) |
|-----------------|-------------------------------------|
| Flood forecast  |                                1154 |

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