IMD teams up with BSNL to send out weather warnings

The move comes after the IMD came under criticism from several quarters, including some state governments for not sending out specific alerts, a charge denied by the weather body.

“The IMD is trying to team up with BSNL to push alerts to the common people. The BSNL has come up with a technology. If the IMD sends an alert, they will pass it on to all BSNL numbers in Delhi (about an impending extreme weather event warning like thunderstorm, dust storm, heatwave),” M Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences said. Area specific alerts will be sent to users if they are in that particular place where the extreme weather pattern is going to occur, even if their phone numbers do not belong to that particular telecom circle.

For instance, a BSNL user has travelled from Pune to Delhi, where an extreme weather event is forecast. The user will still get the message, Rajeevan added.

The exercise is being carried out on an experimental stage, and if successful the plan is to rope in other weather agencies as well, the official said. Rajeevan, however, said the government agencies have limitations in disseminating information, especially in scenarios like thunderstorms wherein the entire weather pattern forms and wreaks its fury in two to three hours.