New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday celebrated 150 years of its service to the country by organising a series of events this month. The department said that by 2047 IMD to forecast warnings 10 to 15 days in advance.
Speaking with the media, IMD Director General Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra on Wednesday said that IMD aims to improve by 10 to 15 per cent in the next five years and by 2047, IMD will be able to provide warnings 10 to 15 days in advance.
The main program will be organized on January 15 at Bharat Mandapam in the national capital. The objective of these events is to showcase IMD’s achievements during the past 150 years, and its role in making India climate-resilient, and demonstrate how IMD and other MoES institutions are leading the scientific journey in the current millennia.
“In the next 5 years, we are targeting to improve by 10-15 per cent. Now when you move towards 2047, certainly you have to look at what we have achieved during the past 25 years. If I compare the 1999 ‘Super Cyclone’ and now if I compare there has been a hell and heaven difference. There is a paradigm shift in the approach of the India Meteorology Department. It has been equipped with technological investment in terms of observations, modelling, communication and infrastructure,” said Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra.
“At that time we did not have an adequate surface observational network…At that time we had only analog radars…There was only a 24-hour forecast in 1999, now we are providing forecasts up to 5 to 7 days warning. I can say that by 2047, the warning will be provided for 10 to 15 days in advance…,” he added.
Established on January 15, 1875, the IMD has been at the forefront of tropical meteorology development.