Snag-hit doppler radar to be in action soon
By Express News Service | Published: 01st January 2018 04:02 AM |
Last Updated: 01st January 2018 07:41 AM | A+A A- |
BERHAMPUR: The doppler weather radar (DWR) at Gopalpur is likely to start operation soon. Installed in 2016, the DWR was supposed to be made functional by September after a successful trial run. However, it was delayed after snags developed in machineries.
Following the glitches, India Meteorological Department (IMD) Odisha head Sarat Kumar Sahu and other officials visited the DWR station, inspected the equipment and informed the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) authorities regarding the problem.
Last week, a team from ISRO, Bangalore visited the DWR station and reportedly rectified the snag. Before returning, the team members refused to divulge any details of the snag but informed that some other works will be undertaken at the DWR.
They said another team would reach the station within a fortnight with some equipment after which the DWR will be made functional.Ganjam, a coastal district which is vulnerable to natural calamities, is dependent on the DWR at Visakhapatnam for cyclone forecast. The decision to instal a DWR at Gopalpur was taken on the recommendation of a high-level team of National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) which conducted a survey after Super Cyclone hit Ganjam in 1999.
The DWR was provided to Odisha by the Centre at a cost of around Rs 22 crore. The radar, weighing 16 tonnes, has been designed by ISRO and assembled by Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL).
The State Government had provided three acres of land and released Rs 25 lakh from Odisha State Disaster Mitigation Agency (OSDMA) for construction of the building. After the disastrous impact of cyclones Phailin and Hudhud in the district, the construction of the radar started in 2013.
The DWR will help the Met department predict cyclone, tornado, hailstorm, lightning and cloudburst more accurately as its antenna will oscillate 24 hours at various elevations and frequent intervals within 16 metre diameter. The radar is also equipped to detect coastal weather conditions within a distance of 450 km to 500 km from the seashore. It can identify clouds upto a range of 500 km.
