India Launches Mission Mausam to Become Weather-Ready and Climate-Smart
The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) held a national press interaction on Mission Mausam at Prithvi Bhavan in New Delhi. Dr. M. Ravichandran, Secretary of MoES, along with Dr. Mritunjay Mohapatra, Director General of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), and Dr. V.S. Prasad, Head of the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), addressed the media.
According to MoES, the Union Cabinet approved Mission Mausam on September 11, with a budget of Rs 2,000 crore over two years. This initiative aims to make India ‘Weather Ready’ and ‘Climate Smart’ by significantly improving weather and climate observations, understanding, modelling, and forecasting, ultimately delivering more accurate and timely services.
Mission Mausam aims to transform India into a ‘Weather-ready and Climate-smart’ nation, with the objective of reducing the impact of climate change and extreme weather events while enhancing community resilience. The mission is scheduled for implementation from 2024 to 2026.
Objectives of Mission Mausam
- Develop cutting-edge weather surveillance technologies and systems
- Implement higher resolution atmospheric observations
- Deploy next-generation radars and satellites
- Enhance high-performance computing capabilities
- Improve understanding of weather and climate processes
- Develop improved earth system models and data-driven methods
- Establish a state-of-the-art dissemination system for last-mile connectivity
- Focus on capacity building
The mission aims to establish a comprehensive network of 50 Doppler Weather Radars (DWR), 60 Radio Sonde/Radio Wind (RS/RW) stations, 100 disdrometers, 10 wind profilers, 25 radiometers, 1 urban testbed, 1 process testbed, 1 ocean research station, and 10 marine automatic weather stations equipped with upper air observation capabilities.
Dr. M. Ravichandran stated, ‘By March 2026, we are looking at installing a wider network of radars, wind profilers, and radiometers for better observations. We also look forward to better understanding the physical processes and the science of weather forecasting. There will be improved data assimilation with increased ingestion of the observations. We will also fuse physics-based numerical models and data-driven AI/ML to improve the forecasts. We would witness more innovations, R&D, and advancements in atmospheric sciences.’
Dr. Ravichandran also emphasized that data dissemination and capacity building will be scaled up to benefit citizens and various stakeholders, ensuring that no weather system in the country goes undetected. MoES will deliver improved services for weather, climate, and natural hazards, ensuring economic and social benefits for multiple sectors.
The implementation of Mission Mausam will be led primarily by three institutions within MoES: the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. These organizations will be supported by other MoES institutions, such as the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services and the National Institute of Ocean Technology, along with partnerships from national and international institutions, academia, and industries, furthering India’s leadership in weather and climate sciences and services.
Doubts Revealed
Mission Mausam -: Mission Mausam is a special project started by the Indian government to improve how we predict and understand the weather and climate. ‘Mausam’ means weather in Hindi.
Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) -: The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is a part of the Indian government that focuses on studying and understanding the Earth, including the weather, oceans, and climate.
Rs 2,000 crore -: Rs 2,000 crore is a large amount of money, specifically 20 billion rupees, which is being used to fund Mission Mausam.
Weather Ready -: ‘Weather Ready’ means being prepared for different weather conditions, like rain, storms, or heatwaves, so that people can stay safe and plan better.
Climate Smart -: ‘Climate Smart’ means making smart decisions and using technology to deal with changes in the climate, like global warming, to protect the environment and people’s lives.
IMD -: IMD stands for India Meteorological Department, which is the main organization in India that studies and predicts the weather.
NCMRWF -: NCMRWF stands for National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting. It is an Indian organization that focuses on predicting the weather for the next few days to help people plan ahead.
Data dissemination -: Data dissemination means sharing important information, like weather forecasts, with people so they can use it to stay safe and make decisions.
