Lok Sabha Question No. 6108 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-01
Subject: Modernising Climate Monitoring System
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Shri Vijayakumar Alias Vijay Vasanth

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6108

TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 1 ST  APRIL, 2026

## MODERNISING CLIMATE MONITORING SYSTEM

## 6108.   SHRI VIJAYAKUMAR ALIAS VIJAY VASANTH:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has prepared a comprehensive national roadmap to modernise climate  monitoring  systems  in  view  of  increasing  extreme  weather  events  such  as heatwaves,  cyclones,  floods  and  droughts  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof  including timelines and financial allocation;
- (b) whether the Department is being upgraded with advanced numerical weather prediction models, artificial intelligence-based forecasting tools and expanded Doppler Weather Radar coverage and if so, the details thereof,  region-wise;
- (c) whether  the  additional  Doppler  Weather  Radars  are  being  installed  in  vulnerable coastal, Himalayan and flood-prone regions to ensure early warning systems and if so, the details thereof along with the time by which such system is likely to be completed;
- (d) whether  satellite-based  climate  observation  capabilities  are  being  strengthened  in coordination  with  the  Indian  Space  Research  Organisation  to  enhance  real-time monitoring of cyclones, monsoons, glacier melt and ocean temperatures and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether  district  and  block-level  automated  weather  stations  are  being  expanded  to provide hyperlocal weather advisories for farmers, fishermen and disaster management authorities and if so, the details thereof along with current coverage and future targets in this regard?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Yes. The Government has undertaken several measures to strengthen and modernise climate  monitoring  and  weather  forecasting  systems  in  response  to  the  increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall, heatwaves, cyclones, and droughts in the context of climate change. The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES),  through  its  constituent  institutions,  is  implementing  a  range  of  programs aimed  at  enhancing  observational  networks,  improving  modeling  capabilities,  and adopting advanced data assimilation techniques. These efforts include expansion and modernisation  of  surface  and  upper-air  observational  networks,  Doppler  Weather Radars, ocean observation systems, and high-performance computing (HPC) facilities to support high-resolution numerical weather prediction (NWP) and climate modeling.

To further enhance weather monitoring and forecasting across India and surrounding regions by leveraging advanced observational and computing technologies for greater precision  and  resolution,  the  Union  Cabinet  approved  the  central  sector  scheme Mission Mausam in 2024, with a budget outlay of 2,000 crore over two years (2024-25 to 2025-26). The primary objectives include improving weather and climate prediction capabilities,  strengthening  observation  networks,  enhancing  high-resolution  NWP models, and improving last-mile dissemination of weather services. In short, Mission Mausam aims to make the country "Weather Ready and Climate Smart".

- (b)-(c)  The Government has adopted advanced, state-of-the-art techniques,  including  highresolution weather prediction models, observational systems, and artificial intelligenceenabled  forecasting  tools,  to  improve  the  accuracy  of  monitoring  and  prediction  of climate change and associated extreme weather events. Currently, MoES has a weather observation  network  comprising  manual  observatories,  Automatic  Weather Stations (AWSs),  Automated  Rain  Gauges  (ARGs),  Agro-AWS,  Doppler  Weather  Radars (DWRs), upper-air observatories, and satellites to monitor climate change and extreme weather events across the country. At present, 48 Doppler Weather Radars (DWRs) are operational  across  the  country,  covering  vulnerable  coastal  areas,  the  Himalayan regions,  and  flood-prone  zones,  with  approximately  92%  of  the  country's  total geographical area under radar coverage. In the coming years, DWRs will be installed as  per  the  requirement  to  cover  the  remaining  gap  areas  in  the  country,  provide redundancy,  and  replacement  of  old  radars  in  the  DWR  network  under  Mission Mausam of MoES.

For forecasting extreme weather events, two global models, GFS 12 km and NCUM 12 km, have been operational since 2018. In addition, the Bharat Forecasting System (BharatFS)  and  Mithuna-FS  were  developed  with  very  high  resolution  to  generate forecasts at very high resolution. Furthermore, AI/ML is used for the detection and attribution of climate change and downscaling climate projections, identifying climate fingerprints  in  heatwaves,  heavy  rainfall,  cyclones,  and  estimating  anthropogenic contributions.

To  provide  computational  support  for  such  high-resolution  models  and  to  enable regular  real-time  operation,  the  computing  facilities  have  also  been  substantially increased  in  computational  power  to  integrate  voluminous  data  and  run  mesoscale, regional, and global models at higher resolution. Recently, with the 'Arunika' and 'Arka' systems, the Ministry of Earth Sciences has enhanced its total computing power to 28 Peta FLOPS in 2025, a substantial increase from the  previous  capacity of  6.8 Peta FLOPS, which was in 2014.

For the  automation and  integration  of  data  and  weather  forecasts,  the  Ministry  has developed an end-to-end GIS-based Decision Support System (DSS) that serves as the front  end  of  the  early  warning  systems  for  the  timely  detection  and  monitoring  of weather  hazards.  It  is  supported  with  specific  severe  weather  modules  in  order  to provide timely impact-based early warnings for extreme weather events like cyclones, heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning, fog, heatwaves, etc., which have devastating impacts on human lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure. This system uses all historical data,  their  extremes,  as  well  as  real-time  surface  and  upper-air  meteorological observations available to it for the Indian region and neighbourhood. It also includes radar observations available every 10 minutes and satellite products every 15 minutes.

It also uses numerical weather prediction products from a suite of models run in MoES. For providing impact-based forecasts and warnings, the DSS integrates exposure data with hazard data in the system.

- (d) Yes.  The  Ministry,  in  coordination  with  the  Indian  Space  Research  Organisation (ISRO), has strengthened satellite-based observation capabilities for  improved monitoring of extreme weather events and climate parameters. In this context, satellites such as INSAT-3DR, INSAT-3DS, and Oceansat-3 are being utilised for cyclogenesis prediction,  cyclone  detection,  monitoring  of  storm  evolution, track  forecasting,  and landfall  assessment.  The  satellite-derived  observations  are  integrated  with  groundbased observations and advanced numerical weather prediction models to enhance the accuracy and timeliness of forecasts.

Further, the Government is using satellite-based remote sensing systems to monitor the melting and changes in the Himalayan  glaciers. The  Indian Space  Research Organisation employs advanced remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS)  technologies  to  systematically  monitor  glacier  extent,  mass,  movement,  and dynamics in the Himalayan region. Satellite remote sensing serves as an effective tool for  glacier  inventory  and  monitoring  due  to  its  wide  spatial  coverage  and  frequent revisit capability.

- (e) The Ministry is  in  continuous  endeavour of  augmenting the observational network, including automated weather stations and R&D infrastructure, towards achieving better accuracy in weather forecasting, as well as strengthening early warning systems. The Government  has  undertaken  various  measures  for  the  effective  dissemination  of weather information and alerts through the Ministry. These include real-time weather updates and dissemination of hyperlocal weather advisories to farmers, fishermen, and disaster management authorities, to facilitate improved crop management and enhance preparedness against adverse weather events:
-  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  State  Governments,  State  Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), the Fisheries Department, and the Agriculture 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.
-  Weather forecasts are accessible through the Mausamgram portal of the India Meteorological Department.
-  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.

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).

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