New Delhi, April 29 (IANS). Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh on Wednesday said India has made a major expansion in its Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) network since 2014. Now the number of radars has increased from 14 to 50, which is an increase of more than 250 percent.
Speaking to the media after inaugurating a selfie point at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) headquarters in the national capital, the minister said the expansion now covers more than 87 per cent of the country. Due to this, predictions of cyclones, heavy rains and storms have become more accurate.
“Since 2014, there has been a major expansion in the Doppler weather radar network in India, which now reaches 50 units,” he said.
He also said that 50 more radars will be installed in the coming time under Mission Mausam, which will further improve weather information.
The minister said this rapid expansion is a result of efforts to strengthen weather and climate services under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He said better infrastructure has improved the accuracy, accessibility and reliability of weather forecasting.
“It has now become common for people to check weather information on their mobile phones before leaving home, which shows the increasing trust on IMD services,” he said.
Dr. Singh also said that neighboring countries are also benefiting from India’s better weather forecasting capability, thereby strengthening regional cooperation.
He said that now India can provide such accurate information that the intensity of rain, type of rain, probability of hailstorm and even the size of rain drops can be predicted.
–IANS
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