Rs 400cr mission for perfect weather info

Weather forecast systems under the National Monsoon Mission (NMM) will be extended up to the block level across the country by 2019, Union Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Minister Harsh Vardhan said.

“We have launched the Rs 400 crore National Monsoon Mission to provide more accurate monsoon forecast to all concerned up to the block level,” the minister said.

Vardhan said the NMM was a revolutionary step in weather forecasting and it would help the farmers, policy makers, administrators and all concerned alike.

He said, “To make weather forecasting with higher accuracy in the mountainous northeastern region, most modern Doppler weather radars have been installed in Cherrapunjee in Meghalaya, Mohanbari in Dibrugarh (Assam) and Agartala (Tripura). Weather details are being provided to 21 million farmers across the country.”

He also said that his earth sciences ministry had launched a Rs 475 crore project and set up two mega centres at Koyna in Maharashtra and Shillong in Meghalaya for the study of earthquake prediction.

Experts consider the Northeast the sixth major quake-prone zone in the world.

“Our scientists in collaboration with the scientists of 80 countries are also working on an ambitious project relating to tsunami prediction. The study in deep ocean is also on to predict sea-related predictions and discoveries,” said Vardhan.

“India has taken huge strides in the field of earth sciences and is actually providing early warning system to over 36 coastal countries in predicting tsunami and cyclone,” the minister added. — IANS