Wayanad: After a long wait, IMD has begun the construction of the modern 'X Band Doppler Radar' station at Pazhassiraja College, Pulppalli. The facility is expected to reduce delays in weather warnings and provide more accurate forecasts for Wayanad, neighbouring districts and parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director Neetha K Gopal recently inspected the site and said the infrastructure required for the radar will be ready within a month. “The components of the radar system, developed at premier institutions in the country, will be brought to Wayanad and installed here,” she said, adding that public forecasts will be released only after thorough evaluations to ensure maximum accuracy.

The radar will provide predictions within a 100-km aerial radius, benefiting districts including Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kannur, Kasaragod, and surrounding areas. Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd (BHEL), Bengaluru, was tasked with manufacturing the radar system. The location at Pazhassiraja College, under the management of the Sulthan Bathery diocese of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, was finalised after several site inspections across the state.

A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the state government, IMD and the college management. Neetha K Gopal, Syro-Malankara Catholic Diocese Vicar General Fr Sebastian Keeppalli, and Kerala State Disaster Management Authority Chairperson Sekhar L Kuriakkose signed the deal. Under the MoU, IMD will be solely responsible for sourcing, installing, and operating the radar system.

The project, long demanded following the devastating Chooralmala-Mundakkai landslide on July 31, 2024, that claimed over 300 lives, was delayed due to the unavailability of suitable land. The radar station aims to address such shortcomings in weather monitoring and ensure timely warnings in the future.