Doppler radar out of order since March

“A month ago,we found a technical problem with the antenna and had to discontinue using the radar. BHEL sent a team from Bangalore to fix it on-site. They have nearly resolved the problem but are waiting for an expert opinion. We expect the machine to be operational in 15 days,” said IMD director S G Kamble.

The radar uses the doppler effect in microwaves reflected off objects at different times based on their relative position to the radar,to “hear” physical changes.

At the time of its installation,IMD officials had said the Rs 15 crore machine was a state-of-the-art technology on par with systems used in developed countries. It has the ability to transmit detailed information about a cloud,including an insight into the intensity and force of rainfall. The radar was installed as per the IMD’s modernisation plans to replace old S-Band cyclone detection radars with the S-Band Doppler Weather Radar at 12 locations across the country including Mumbai and Nagpur. The machine is located in Navy Nagar,Colaba,with an unobstructed view in a 5-km radius.

“This is the most advanced technology available and the Doppler would help us predict thunderstorms and give out warnings,” said Kamble. However last year,despite its use,BMC was caught unawares when the city received some of its heaviest rainfall.

“It has been found that some errors during the installation process caused some noise problems but that has been fixed. Repair work is going on as part of maintenance under the warranty of the machine so no extra charge has been incurred. We are using other techonologies such as satellites and surface maps in the interim,” said Kamble.