New Delhi (NVI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) today reviewed preparedness and take stock of requirements to plan for the upcoming cyclone season from October to December at a pre-cyclone exercise meeting.
Addressing the exercise meeting, Director General of Meteorology (DGM), IMD, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, touched upon various issues from forecasting to last mile connectivity and discussed the areas that require improvement.
“The IMD has achieved significant improvement in track, landfall, intensity and adverse weather including heavy rainfall, strong wind and storm surge forecast. During the ensuing cyclone season, the IMD will start interactive display system for observed and forecast cyclone track and intensity on GIS platform,” a statement from the Ministry of Earth Science quoted Mohapatra.
He also informed the stakeholders about various mobile apps launched by IMD including Damini for lightning forecast, Mausam and Umang for weather forecast including cyclone warning and Meghdoot for agrometeorological advisories.
The meeting was participated by experts from IMD, National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), Indian Air Force (IAF), Central Water Commission (CWC), India Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) among several others, the statement said.
Moreover, the participants were also informed about free registration facility available on Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC) website www.rsmcnewdelhi.imd.gov.in to receive cyclone alerts.
Mohapatra further stressed upon the need to learn lessons from past and fix the recurring mistakes. He also insisted upon developing a foolproof triggering and response mechanism with active participation from all stake holders to further minimize loss of lives and properties.
Sunitha Devi, Head, Cyclone Warning Division, IMD also made a presentation on the status, future plans and efforts made during recent past including forecast performance of RSMC during recent years.
Furthermore, the stake holders participating in the meeting appreciated IMD for effective cyclone warning system, which has helped in management of cyclones in recent years, the statement said.
“Deliberations and discussions with active participation from all the stake holders were held during the meeting and there were a number of good suggestions from the stakeholders,” it added.
-RJV
