In a bid to give more stress on agriculture, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has decided to set up weather stations in 660 districts of the country by 2019. In the first phase, the IMD plans to set up the system in 130 districts which
have already been shortlisted.
The IMD has also tied up with the Ministry of Agriculture to use the Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in the districts, as weather forecasting observatories.
Weather forecasts will be issued four days a week between Monday to Thursday. In the present scenario, country has weather forecasting system in 130 districts which gives forecasts for a cluster of neighbouring districts. Soon this will be diversified and every district will have its own weather forecast.
This will further get into the block level, with the department, giving predictions, keeping in mind the rain-fed and non-rain-fed areas to give crop specific advisories.
The sources in IMD expressed confidence on the success of the project. According to them, KVKs have good and experienced scientists with expertise on different aspects of agriculture. Someone from among them will be made as an in-charge scientist. There will also be provisions for a scientific officer and technical assistant who would be salaried.
Each centre will cost nearly `10 lakh in terms of maintenance and upkeep of infrastructure besides payment of salary of staffs among others. Further, IMD will also spend `3-4 lakh for setting up automatic weather stations which can measure temperature, wind velocity humidity and rains. Gradually as these units at KVK are made functional, advisories will begin to get issued, explained the IMD officials.
The IMD will also start giving state-specific weather forecasts from this year. It currently gives region wise weather forecasts namely for the southern peninsula, northwest, central and northeast regions during monsoons.