Urban meteorology study likely in Vijayawada, says Union Ministry of Earth Sciences

The study will help in preparation of better weather forecasting models, says MoES adviser Kamaljit Ray

Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) may also choose Vijayawada for its urban meteorology study on extreme weather events (EWE), and generate data required for forecasting models with the help of various atmospheric science research institutes in the country, according to MoES advisor Kamaljit Ray.

The objectives of the urban meteorology study are flood and inundation modelling, heat health warning system, development of societal applications, and data management, among others.

Ms. Ray was in Visakhapatnam to take part in the platinum jubilee celebrations of Andhra University’s Department of Meteorology & Oceanography.

Ms. Ray gave a presentation on ‘Climate Action to Support India’s Climate Goals’, at the three-day national seminar on Current Trends in Atmospheric and Oceanic Processes related to Climate Change Studies as part of the celebrations.

Speaking to The Hindu on Thursday (September 19) on the sidelines of the seminar, Ms. Ray said that the ministry regularly conducts various studies on various weather events.

“Urban meteorology is a key project. Like other cities, Vijayawada may be included in this study. However, the recent floods in Vijayawada may not be the only issue for the study. There may be more instances to be considered. Urban meteorology studies have been done on cities like Chennai and Mumbai. At present, an ‘urban mesonet’ is planned for Delhi, and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology is implementing it in coordination with National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, and India Meteorological Department,” Ms. Ray said.

While talking about the reasons behind the extreme weather events, she said that global warming has led to an increase in the frequency and intensity of such events, which are extreme heat, droughts, floods and storms. Despite increasing number of events in past decades, they are known to contribute to only 0.06% of the global mortality, she added.

“However, there has been extraordinary progress in the weather forecasting system in recent years, with predictions now highly reliable within a 48-hour period. For better prediction, the MoES is taking up projects in urban meteorology,” Ms. Ray said.

Referring to some case studies of disasters linked to high casualties in the last two decades in the country, Ms. Ray said that in 2015, heat waves claimed over 2,000 lives in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. United A.P. has been a hotspot of heat waves as per the data. Nearly 500 deaths were reported in 1970, followed by 521 in 1998, 600 in 2002, 1,300 in 2003 and 1,200 in 2013, she added.

“Andhra Pradesh is one of the top five States in the country for three extreme weather events — heatwaves, floods and tropical cyclones. There is a need to prioritise the five States including A.P. for developing action plans,” Ms. Ray said.

“MoES is now in the process of acquisition of the new High Power Computing system of about 21 Peta Flops as part of its efforts to accurately predict extreme weather events,” Ms. Ray concluded.

Published - September 20, 2024 12:02 am IST