The Prime Minister Inaugurated Mission Mausam to mark the 150th anniversary of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Mission Mausam: An Overview
Objective: To enhance the capabilities of India’s meteorological department in forecasting, modeling, and information dissemination.
Key Features:
- Budget: ₹2,000 crore allocated for the first two years.
- Primary Focus Areas: Weather surveillance, advanced modelling techniques, and accurate forecasting.
- Beneficiary Sectors: Agriculture, aviation, defence, disaster management, tourism, and health.
Phases of Implementation:
- Phase 1 (2025-March 2026): Expansion of observation systems and conducting simulation experiments.
- Phase 2 (2026 onwards): Deployment of satellites and aircraft for improved observational accuracy.
Supervision:
The mission will be managed by three institutions under the Ministry of Earth Sciences:
- The India Meteorological Department (IMD).
- The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune.
- The National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting, Noida.
Notable Initiative: India will construct a cloud chamber to study monsoon clouds, aiding in better understanding and forecasting.
Need for Mission Mausam
- Improved Forecasting: Enhance forecast accuracy by 5-10% with panchayat-level predictions and a 10-15 day lead time.
- Advanced Technology: Leverage AI, machine learning, and supercomputers for precise weather modelling.
- Better Air Quality Predictions: Boost air quality forecasting accuracy in metro cities by 10%.
- Nowcasting: Provide real-time weather updates every hour instead of every three hours.
Significance
- Addressing Extreme Events: Tackle challenges from cloudbursts, lightning, and simultaneous droughts and floods.
- Enhanced Tracking: Improve small-scale event predictions where current models fall short.
- Weather Modification:
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- Cloud Seeding: Induce or suppress rainfall using materials like silver iodide, as practiced in the US, China, and UAE.
- Flood Prevention: Alter rainfall during prolonged downpours in flood-prone areas.
- Rainfall Enhancement: Combat droughts by stimulating precipitation.
The mission seeks to exponentially enhance the country’s weather and climate observations, understanding, modelling and forecasting.
