Heavy rainfall warning for T

48-hr alert; IMD criticised

The Hyderabad Centre of the Indian Meteorological Department has sounded a heavy rainfall warning for the Telangana region in the next 48 hours. The Telangana region has already been witnessing some rains over the last two days. An IMD alert on Wednesday said heavy rainfall would occur at isolated places in the districts of Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Warangal, Nalgonda and Medak of Telangana in the next 48 hours.

However, the department has come in for some criticism for what are called ‘inaccurate forecasts’.

Disasters are hitting states with increased frequency. When this happens, the most common target is the Meteorological department, which is being blamed for failing to provide specific alerts of an impending natural calamity.

Indian meteorological department officials protest that they can provide only general alerts on a sub-divisional basis and not for a concentrated area. This again raises the question of preparedness if another disaster is to strike. Gaping holes in weather forecasting remain unplugged.

The state, specifically, has three sub-divisions: Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema and Telangana.

While disaster management officials in Uttarakhand had blamed the IMD for not providing any specific alerts about the heavy rains last month, officials in the state had also criticised the weather department for the same reason last year when floods ravaged East Godavari district.

Revenue minister N. Raghuveera Reddy came down heavily on the IMD, saying they failed to predict the heavy downpour that led to the floods.

“IMD did not predict the heavy downpour. We went by their prediction that Nilam wouldn’t have an adverse impact and in fact, may benefit farmers,” he had said.

M. Shashidhar Reddy, vice-chairman, National Disaster Management Authority, said there was no tussle with the Indian Metrological Department, but only an issue of more specific forecasting. “Now a warning is being given that it will rain heavily over Telangana. Which part of Telangana? The impact of the rainfall and the time in which a certain amount of rain will occur over a region are critical.”

He added, “So there are gaps at this point in time and there is a need for detailed forecasting.”

On the other side, G. Sudhakar Rao, director-incharge, Meteorological Centre, Hyderabad, said, “We can’t give 100 per cent forecasting. That is not possible.”