Weather forecasts at panchayat level: what will be known, and how it will help

Weather forecasts at panchayat level: what will be known, and how it will help

Sub : Schemes

Sec: Agriculture

Context:

• On October 24, a new scheme named the Gram Panchayat-Level Weat her Forecasting initiative was launched by the Central Government.
• The Panchayati Raj Ministry is organizing workshops to train over 200 participants, including elected representatives, on utilizing weather forecasting tools at the gram panchayat level. This aims to empower communities and enhance climate resilience.

About the initiative:

• This program is a collaborative effort between the Panchayati Raj Ministry, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), and the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• Five-day weather forecasts, updated every hour, are now available at the level of gram panchayats, the first major step towards localised forecasting across the country.
• Forecasts will be accessible via the e-GramSwaraj and Gram Manchitra portals, and the Meri Panchayat app.

Types of Forecasts:

• Users can see data on the current temperature, wind speed, cloud cover (in percentage), rainfall, and relative humidity at the level of gram panchayats.
• It also provides five-day forecasts of minimum and maximum temperatures, rainfall, cloud cover, wind direction, and wind speed, and an overall weather forecast.

Benefits of the initiative:

• Farmers can utilize localized forecasts to optimize planning for sowing, irrigation, and harvesting.
• The initiative can improve preparedness against natural disasters, particularly as weather patterns become increasingly unpredictable due to climate change.

Importance of Localized Weather Forecasting:

• Predicting large weather systems (e.g., monsoons, cyclones) is easier than forecasting sudden localized events (e.g., cloudbursts).
• Localized forecasts empower small communities, particularly farmers, to make informed economic decisions.

Current Capabilities:

• At present, IMD provides weather forecasts at the district and block levels, with forecasts for a 12 km x 12 km area.
• IMD is testing forecasts for 3 km x 3 km grids, with the eventual objective of making hyper-local forecasts for 1 km x 1 km areas.