NT NETWORK
PANAJI
A high-technology Doppler radar, which has already been installed at the Altinho station of the Indian meteorological department, will start giving out more accurate weather forecasts from the ensuing monsoon.
The China-made sophisticated technology will become formally operational by the end of May.
IMD-Goa Director M L Sahu said the installation of the Doppler radar has been completed and the department has already started running it on trial basis
“We expect the radar to be fully functional by next week,” he said.
“The Doppler radar gives more accurate knowledge of clouds, rainfall and cyclonic depression. The range for the Doppler radar is actually 450 km, but at 300 km we get a clear picture. The radar is capable of giving five days’ forecast, and of an additional two days, making it seven days’ prediction,” he explained.
The decision to install the sophisticated equipment had been taken following the death of around 70 fishermen from the state after Phyan cyclone hit Goa in 2009. In the absence of radar, the IMD had failed to warn trawler owners of the deadly storm.
In December 2008, the IMD had decommissioned the old radar, which had been installed in 2002 in Goa after it successfully served West Bengal for almost a decade.
Earlier, a cluster of many devices were used to determine the weather like analysis chart, model of forecasting and satellite cloud images. This system, costing Rs 5 crore, will be operational for 24 hours. It is especially useful for Goa. Being a coastal state, this radar can be used in providing vital information about thunderstorms, cyclones and other calamities.
With the new radar, the department will be able to forecast the weather even two to three hours in advance. The director said the new system would help in informing the general public, particularly fishermen, about regional weather patterns.
