Why in News?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted India’s advancements in meteorology, underscoring their critical role in disaster management, economic resilience, and global collaboration.

The event commemorating the 150th anniversary of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), established in 1875, also showcased ambitious plans for its future.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Origin and Significance of the IMD
• Key Highlights of the 150th Anniversary Celebration of the IMD
• Achievements and Acknowledgements of the IMD
• Vision for the Future of the IMD
• Conclusion

Origin and Significance of the IMD:

• The IMD was established in 1875, following a series of catastrophic events (including a devastating tropical cyclone that struck Calcutta in 1864) that underscored the need for centralized meteorological services.
• It comes under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India.
• Since its inception, the department has played a crucial role in advancing meteorology as a modern physical science.

Key Highlights of the 150th Anniversary Celebration of the IMD:

• Commemorative releases: Vision Document 2047, outlining the roadmap for IMD’s progress.
• Achievements acknowledged: PM Modi lauded IMD's accurate forecasting, citing the timely prediction during the Z-Morh tunnel inauguration in Sonmarg, Kashmir.

Achievements and Acknowledgements of the IMD:

• Make in India initiative
  • IMD has been the front runner of the development of Indigenous technology, commencing with indigenous RADAR in 1958, and Indian Satellite products in collaboration with ISRO since 1983.
  • Other initiatives:
    • Automatic Weather Station since 2000,
    • Doppler Weather Radar since 2010,
    • Common Alerting Protocol since 2019,
    • Impact based Forecast since 2019,
    • Dynamic composite risk atlas since 2022, etc.
• Technological and strategic advancements:
  • Mission Mausam: Launched to revolutionize weather surveillance through:
    • High-resolution atmospheric observations.
    • Next-generation radars and satellites.
    • High-performance computing systems.
• IMD’s role in global and regional meteorology:
• Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), acknowledged India's six-decade representation at the WMO, the longest in the Asia-Pacific.
• WMO also highlighted India’s critical role in supporting neighboring countries, including Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, with weather forecasts.
• For example, India's Flash Flood Guidance system provides vital data to neighboring nations.
• Improved forecasting accuracy: IMD's forecast accuracy has improved by 50%, enabling better disaster preparedness.
• Ministerial endorsements: Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Earth Sciences, emphasized IMD’s vital role in reducing human casualties and economic losses. 

Vision for the Future of the IMD:

• Forecast accuracy goals:
  • IMD aims to improve forecast accuracy by 10-15% in the next five years.
  • Vision for 2047 includes:
    • Zero-error forecast accuracy for three-day predictions.
    • 90% accuracy for five-day forecasts.
    • Tailor-made forecasts for individual users.
• Future focus areas:
  • Developing earthquake warning systems.
  • Expanding the observational network on land, at sea, and in space.
  • Enhancing the capacity to detect localized severe weather events.

Conclusion:

• PM Modi reiterated the importance of meteorological advancements in safeguarding lives and supporting global collaboration.
• With ambitious goals under Vision Document 2047 and the launch of Mission Mausam, IMD is poised to transition from weather forecasting to comprehensive weather management, striving to make India a "weather-ready nation" by 2047.