Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), that designed and developed the country’s first-ever Lightning Location Network (LLN) for Maharashtra, will soon be launching a mobile app. (Representational Image)
Soon, mobile alerts will be sent out to people warning them against events of lightning in Maharashtra. In the pre-monsoon months, that is April and May, events of thunder and lightning are common. But in the recent years, instances of lightning deaths have been on the rise. City-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), that designed and developed the country’s first-ever Lightning Location Network (LLN) for Maharashtra, will soon be launching a mobile app that will not only show the ongoing lightning event but also send out warnings in the form of SMSs to people.
“The team is now developing a mobile-based application that will send out warnings in the form of SMSs and show real-time lightning activities happening anywhere in the country. Although, predicting lightning is a tough task and very little lead time would be available, through this app, it will at least be possible to warn people and prevent them from venturing out to the vulnerable areas,” Professor Ravi Nanjundiah, Director, IITM, told The Indian Express.
Currently, the team is preparing to test the facility during the upcoming pre-monsoon months. “We will make use of registered mobile numbers collected by the Agrimet division of India Meteorology Department (IMD) as part of agriculture advisories issued for farmers,” said S D Pawar, senior IITM scientist, who heads the LLN. The demand for setting up the network in other parts of the country is also being considered, said Nanjundiah.
He said: “We are planning to extend the services to the north-eastern regions of India. In addition, many states are now demanding such a set-up. Installation works on a priority basis are on for Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Odhisha.”
The mobile app will allow users to specifically check out lightning activity in areas or cities of their interest. “The team’s work is in an advanced stage and semi-operational tests will be carried out in April this year. If the tests are satisfactory, the app can be launched this year,” said Pawar.