Failure in issuing timely weather alerts a deep cause for concern

Thiruvananthapuram: Meteorological agencies are facing severe criticism for their failure in issuing timely warnings on extreme conditions such as landslides, flash floods and cloudbursts. These agencies still rely on decades-old equipment to forecast the weather, despite the changes in rain patterns due to climate change.

Kerala and other states have officially raised complaints over the lack of advance information on the possibility of region-specific extremely heavy rainfall and landslides. The states warned that natural calamities would become more frequent if alerts on regional weather conditions are not issued based on AI, radar and digital sensors.

Major shortcomings
Lack of micro-level predictions: Currently, the Meteorological Department issues district-wise alerts, and does not provide warnings at the panchayat or hill area-level on extremely heavy rain and landslides.

Shortage of radars: Absence of radars in most of the ecologically-fragile hill areas leads to failure in timely detection of cloud formations which could pose danger.

Poor digital surveillance: Only a limited number of ‘early warning sensors’ are located in the hill areas. These sensors issue weather warnings through satellites after measuring the humidity and water pressure of the soil at a particular place.

Recent disasters
Wayanad: Relocation of people could not be carried out due to the failure of the Meteorological Department in issuing a timely warning.

Himachal, Uttarakhand: Warnings came after the flash floods and cloudburst occurred.

Sikkim: The weather authorities failed to detect the breach in the glacial lake at Lachen Valley and predict the flooding it caused.

Tamil Nadu: There were no warnings on the extremely heavy rainfall experienced in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts.

New weather warning system in Wayanad by December
The X-Band Doppler System being established at Pulpally to observe the extreme weather conditions in Wayanad and nearby areas, in order to issue timely warnings, will become operational by December, said officers of the Meteorological Department. Work on the project, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, is nearing completion at Pazhassi Raja College. The system will be equipped to carry out high-resolution observation of the weather in a radius of 100 km around Pulpally and issue precise warnings on conditions such as heavy rainfall and cloudburst, the officers added.