The rejection of the advanced S-band Doppler Radar notwithstanding,Mumbai can still hope to get a superior weather prediction gadget by this monsoon,in form of an Indian-made radar. The Doppler had been returned over security concerns due to its Chinese make. The India Meteorology Department is trying hard to install a local radar,rather than let its groundwork on strengthening a building for radar installation in Navy Nagar go waste. A team of scientists from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) is conducting a study on the feasibility of having their company-made radar installed on the 16-storey Archana Building at Navy Colony. A lot of money has been spent on strengthening the building so that it could take the weight of the radar. Just because a Chinese-made radar cannot be installed due to security reasons,the money and efforts will go waste. We are trying hard to see if a non-Chinese or Indian radar can be fixed, said an IMD official. The Doppler Radar imported from China,after lying in Mumbai for over nine months,was sent to Delhi after Naval authorities refused Chinese technicians permission to stay in the high-security area for installation. A Doppler Radar from BEL has been ordered for Kochi. If it can be installed in Colaba,we would request the ministry to provide it to the city, said IMD deputy director general Dr R V Sharma. If the feasibility report is positive we will go ahead with the order and install the local radar before the 2010 monsoon, he said. BEL,along with Indian Space Research Organisation,produces the S-band cyclone radar. Sharma said there is not much difference between the Chinese radar and the one made by BEL. The only difference is one radar is made locally and the other internationally. The BEL radar is also an S-band radar and of advanced technology. The dispatch of the Chinese-made radar,worth Rs 12 crore,had been a major setback to the IMDs efforts to get a modern real-time weather prediction system since the 2005 flood,when a 944 mm downpour along with an off-shore vortex inundated the city. The tender process and customisation of the radar took more than three years and officials said if a foreign-made radar is to be ordered again,the process is likely to be long again. The state government and IMD are also trying to hunt locations apart from Colaba for the installation. The radar requires an unobstructed view in a 5-km radius. A hilltop in Goregaons Aarey Colony is being kept as a back-up option.
