Mumbai to get 200 rain gauges, new automated weather stations to be installed in Kerala: Harsh Vardhan

The government has decided to add 200 rain gauges in Mumbai and install 100 new automated weather stations in Kerala, Union Earth Sciences Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Monday. Kerala had witnessed unprecedented rains last year resulting in large-scale flooding and loss of lives and property.

On a specific request from the Kerala government, the India Meteorological Department will install new automated weather stations, including rain gauges, to monitor weather activities in the state, the minister said.

Vardhan said the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and the IMD are developing prediction tools for thunderstorm lightning.

The IITM has also developed a mobile App called 'Damini' to give alerts on impending lightning activity over the area. He said the IITM has already installed 48 lightning sensors around the country which can locate the thunderstorm activities on real-time.

Last year, over 200 people had died across the north Indian plains due to thunderstorm.

He said work to further develop the application is in progress and the advanced version will be unveiled when "our new government takes charge", Vardhan said.

The minister said, "The IITM, with the help of the India Meteorology Department (IMD) and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is installing a new dense rain gauge network over Mumbai city with 200 rain gauges.

"In addition 3 X-band and one S-Band radar will be also installed so that a merged rainfall data set at 2 km resolution will be prepared and made available to public on real-time. This facility will help the city administration and general public to know the prevailing rainfall situation in the city on real-time basis. For this purpose, already a mobile App has been developed," Vardhan added.

The financial capital of the country is known for flooding due to heavy rains. The city currently has 25 rain gauges and only one S-Band radar.

The IMD is strengthening the observational network and by the end of this year, 10 new X-band weather radars will be installed over northwest Himalayan states, namely Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

He said 11 more C-band radars will be installed by the IMD by 2020 over the plains of India, including one over Andaman Nicobar Islands and one over Lakshadweep Islands.