Govt to import equipment to predict weather more accurately

New Delhi, July 31 (UNI) The government will procure more modern equipment to reduce the margin of error in predicting cyclones, tsunami and cloud bursts, Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal told the Rajya Sabha today.

Answering a query during Question Hour, the Minister said the Doppler radars, made in the country, like one functioning at Sriharikota, were not functioning properly, so the Ministry had opted to import such sensors.

''By 11th Plan, the government will be able to install Dopper radars, which were the latest weather forecasting system, all over the country,'' he said.

Mr Sibal said that the country needed 50 Automatic Doppler Radars and had just four of them while analogue mode equipment needed to be changed to digital mode for more accurate prediction of weather system which was very complicated in India. He said the Tsunami Warning System would be installed by September next year.

He also assured that Doppler Radars would be set up in Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh, in the second phase, to predict cloud bursts more accurate. Mumbai faced rain havoc last year due to cloud bursts only, he noted.

However, replying to a supplementary, he said tides cannot be predicted by Doppler Radar.

Mr Sibal said a special radar for monitoring cyclone was proposed to be set up in Paradip port in Orissa to prevent/mitigate natural disasters. Already one cyclone detection radar was operating at Paradip and it is proposed to replace this radar by Dopler Weather Radar.

Besides, Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) would be set up at Basudepur, Bhbanesar, Bongaigarh, Brahmgiri, Chandipur, Navapada, Nimpara and Rambha in the state.

UNI AJ/NAZ vD RAI1337