IMD plans to install rain gauges in all dists
Asked about the expenditure involved, he said it would be a continuous process and “while a rain gauge will cost between Rs 2 and Rs 3 lakh, advanced forecasting gadgets may cost up to Rs10 lakh.”
IMD’s Balachandran addressing a meeting organised by TANUVAS on agro forecasting at Vellore
VELLORE: Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) southern regional centre is planning to install rain gauges in all districts of Tamil Nadu based on the parameters of the World Meteorological Organisation, according to southern regional head Dr S Balachandran.
Conveying this to DT Next, the IMD official said, “Whether it will be a simple gauge to measure the amount of rainfall or if it would be an advanced forecasting equipment will depend on the areas’ relevance to the weather-related position.”
Elaborating, Balachandran said most government departments have now started opting for their own rain measuring/forecasting stations based on need as all could not depend on one department to meet the forecast that suits their needs.
Asked about the expenditure involved, he said it would be a continuous process and “while a rain gauge will cost between Rs 2 and Rs 3 lakh, advanced forecasting gadgets may cost up to Rs10 lakh.”
“Also, there is no specific time frame to install the rain gauges in districts,” he added. It may be recalled that a couple of years ago, KS Kandasamy as director of the disaster management department had announced similar measures across the State.
Balachandran was in Vellore recently to participate in an awareness programme organised by the TANUVAS (TN University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences) to advise farmers on using weather forecasts to successfully plan agricultural operations.
“We now provide sector-specific weather forecasts. Farmers will especially benefit as all farming operations starting from raising nurseries to the final harvest will benefit through our forecasts. Based on the forecasts, farmers can plan their work to ensure that they are not adversely affected by inclement weather,” Balachandran added.
Asked about the SW monsoon, he said, “The rainfall in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry was less than 9 per cent of the average quantum, while it was less than 20 per cent in areas like Vellore, Ranipet, Dharmapauri, and Krishnagiri. Lack of cloud cover, heat directly impacting the earth and reduced moisture content in air are some of the reasons and these also push up temperatures around 4 degrees more than normal.”
