Maharashtra first state to use Bharat forecast system

Mumbai: Maharashtra has become the first state to use the state-of-the-art weather forecasting system, Bharat Forecast System, developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune.

The Bharat Forecast System can generate detailed and high-quality weather forecasts for an area of 6 km x 6 km — a “major improvement” over the 12 km x 12 km forecasts available earlier. The new system will be able to provide weather information up to the gram panchayat and sub-taluka levels.

With BharatFS, weather information will be updated every three hours, and information on precipitation, maximum and minimum temperatures, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and direction, and cloud cover will be available in near real time. “Bharat FS will enable faster and more effective preparedness for disasters such as heat waves, heavy rains, storms, floods and landslides,” said a govt press release.

Minister for disaster management Girish Mahajan said the Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with IITM to “significantly enhance the state’s disaster preparedness and response capacity to weather-related disasters such as heavy rainfall.”

State Disaster Management Authority director Dr Bhalchandra Chavan said, “This collaboration will directly put scientific weather information in the hands of the district administration and local bodies.” The indigenous BharatFS, developed under central govt’s India Meteorological Department’s Mission Mausam, will now be used in the decision-making process of the state. It will be implemented through the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) and Geo-Spatial Decision Support System (GeoDSS).

Meanwhile, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the effects of El Nino are likely to be felt more in West Vidarbha and Marathwada.