IMD to soon launch a dynamic impact-based cyclone warning system

NEW DELHI: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) will soon launch a dynamic impact-based cyclone warning system which will help in minimising economic losses and damage to property due to the cyclones that hit Indian coasts every year.
The new system will have location or district-specific tailored warning mechanisms, factoring in the local population, infrastructure, settlements, land use and other relevant elements. All disaster management agencies will make extensive use of cartographic, geological and district-wise hydrological data under this mechanism.
Source: IMD
“With India’s growing economy, we aim to reduce the damage and economic losses caused to property and infrastructure. The dynamic, impact-based cyclone warning will be commissioned from this cyclone season (October-December),” said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general, IMD.
He said the IMD will also start an interactive display system for "observed and forecast cyclone track and intensity" on GIS platform during the cyclone season.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has, meanwhile, taken up a project - called National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP) - to develop a web-based Dynamic Composite Risk Atlas (Web-DCRA) in collaboration with IMD and governments of coastal states.
The IMD on Tuesday organised pre-cyclone exercise meeting, chaired by Mohapatra, to review the preparedness and plan for the October-December cyclone season.
The post-monsoon months of October and November offer favourable atmosphere and sea conditions for the occurrence of cyclonic storms, which mainly affect coastal Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal in east coast and Gujarat in west coast.
With improved technology and increased use of satellite-guided data in recent years, IMD has managed to better forecast cyclones and issue timely warnings.