Minister for Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh today announced a major expansion of Automatic Weather Stations. He said that the India Meteorological Department IMD will install 50 Automatic Weather Stations each in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Pune this year.
Dr Singh was addressing the 151st Foundation Day Celebration of the India Meteorological Department in New Delhi. The Minister said that forecast accuracy has improved by more than 40 to 50 per cent compared to earlier decades. Cyclone track prediction accuracy has increased by nearly 35 to 40 per cent, while errors in monthly and seasonal forecasts have reduced sharply from around 7.5 per cent to nearly 2.5 per cent.
The Minister also highlighted the nation’s growing role as a regional leader in meteorological services, noting that India now provides disaster-related weather information and satellite-based support to neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.
