© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
— Kannan K
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the southwest monsoon is likely to advance further over some more parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and issued a yellow alert in Delhi-NCR. Such weather forecasts and alerts by the IMD, especially during monsoon season and heatwaves of the summer, play a significant role in daily life and planning across the nation.
As India’s primary agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting, and seismology celebrates its 150th year of establishment, let’s explore how far its evolution over the years has been reflective of the country’s changing priorities in science, governance, and disaster management.
The IMD was founded on January 15, 1875, by the then Government of India in response to the growing need for better forecasting to manage disasters such as the tropical cyclone that hit Calcutta (Kolkata) in 1864 and the famines of 1866 and 1871 due to monsoon failure.
Such disasters prompted the organisation of all meteorological work, including the forecasts from the Calcutta, Madras (Chennai), and Colaba observatories, under one agency. The department, which today functions as part of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), had previously been part of the ministries of Civil Aviation, and Science and Technology.
While the IMD’s initial role was largely limited to monsoon predictions and cyclone warnings, its scope expanded significantly over time, particularly since independence. Today, the IMD is entrusted with a list of responsibilities that are key to the well-being of the nation. Some of its functions include –
— Weather Forecasting: The IMD provides daily forecasts for the general public and specialised forecasts for sectors such as aviation, marine, agriculture, and shipping, working in close collaboration with other agencies for enhanced accuracy.
— Extreme Weather Warning: It is tasked with issuing alerts for severe weather events such as cyclones, heatwaves, and cloudbursts. It is also the regional nodal agency of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for forecasting, naming, and providing warnings on cyclones in the Indian Ocean. The IMD’s heatwave alerts have been crucial in ensuring public preparedness for the heatwaves that hit India this summer.
— Climatological Services: The IMD is in charge of data collection, climate monitoring, and long-term studies on climate trends. It also processes data received from India’s weather satellites.
— Seismological Services: The agency also carries out earthquake detection and operates the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC).
— Meteorological statistics: The IMD provides statistics required for agriculture, water resource management, industries, oil exploration, and other nation-building activities.
— Research: The department is tasked with conducting and promoting research in meteorology and its allied disciplines.
The IMD thus plays a vital role in helping to make our day-to-day life safer while also aiding sectors like agriculture, shipping, offshore exploration, irrigation, and aviation through accurate and timely information dissemination. Its forecasts are also key to the government’s disaster management initiatives.
In addition to these responsibilities, the IMD has launched several key initiatives aimed at improving its capabilities. One of its flagship initiatives is the Monsoon Mission, an extensive programme that uses advanced Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models powered by High-Performance Computing (HPC) to effectively forecast monsoon rainfall across various time scales.
The initiative’s effectiveness was recently demonstrated when the IMD accurately predicted the early onset of the monsoon over the Indian mainland. The recent adoption of the high-resolution Bharat Forecast System (BFS) – a new indigenously built weather model developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) – is another example of the mission’s success.
This model features a high spatial resolution of 6km x 6km, providing forecasts for units of 36 sq km – a significant leap from the existing 12km x 12km resolution model, which covered a 144 sq km area as a single unit. The BFS is expected to significantly improve the accuracy of IMD’s forecasts and enable precision forecasting even at the Panchayat level.
The accuracy of forecasts is projected to improve by 64 per cent and a 30 per cent increase in accurate prediction of extreme weather events. With this, the IMD’s forecast accuracy surpasses those of the Global North – the US, UK and EU operate systems of 9km to 14 km resolutions.
Another critical advancement is the development of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS) that provide warnings about multiple hazards such as cyclones, flash floods, and other extreme weather events. The MHEWS, developed in collaboration with the IMD in partnership with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and supported by Doppler Weather Radars (DWRs), has been crucial for India’s disaster risk reduction measures.
The effectiveness of the IMD’s systems was shown in the precise forecasting of the recent extreme rainfall events in Northeast India caused by a deep depression in the Bay of Bengal. Although there was reported the loss of over 50 lives due to floods and landslides, the forecasts enabled some preparedness and risk mitigation.
Yet another notable initiative is Mission Mausum. It was launched in 2024 and aimed at transforming India into a weather-ready and climate-smart nation by improving forecast systems through the use of advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI).
In the agricultural sector, the IMD’s Agro-Meteorological Advisory Services (AAS) delivers millions of farmers with useful information to better manage crops and adapt to various weather phenomena. The information from AAS is distributed at the block level through the Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa (GKMS) scheme, ensuring the delivery of crucial information to millions of farmers across the country.
The IMD also operates the Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS), which provides information on daily pollution levels in major cities. This information is relied upon by governments at various levels to formulate policies on urban air pollution mitigation.
Public outreach measures are another important aspect of the IMD. For instance, the Mausam app provides real-time weather updates to the public, while Mausamgram offers hyper-local weather forecasts at the grampanchayat level to nearly all 2.6 lakh grampanchayats in India. These initiatives are supported by the IMD’s modernisation and investment in research and development.
Despite its exemplary track record and continuous modernisation, the IMD faces a number of challenges. One of the pressing challenges is climate change and the frequent and extreme weather events it brings. Climate change induced events are often sudden and unpredictable, making accurate forecasting difficult.
Another significant challenge is the effective dissemination of information, particularly in rural India where last mile connectivity remains weak. The continuous need for improvement of observation infrastructure and associated technology, alongside maintaining observational machinery even in remote regions (mountains, oceans), demands substantial funding.
Moreover, the IMD is expected to meet public expectations of near-absolute accuracy in forecasts but several weather systems are inherently complex and uncertain. Effective promotion of research in meteorology presents another key challenge.
Nonetheless, the IMD plays a crucial role in disaster preparedness, the agriculture sector, and public safety. Its commitment to developing indigenous meteorological technologies underlines its key role in India’s goals of Atmanirbhar Bharat and that of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
Upgrading the IMD’s observation infrastructure, advancing forecasting technology to further enable hyper-local predictions, and deeper collaboration with international institutions could be some of the vital steps to ensure that the organisation remains at the forefront of India’s climate change mitigation efforts and helps safeguard the lives and livelihoods that depend on its services.
How the evolution of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) over 150 years reflects India’s changing priorities in science, governance, and disaster management. Evaluate.
How effectively does the India Meteorological Department (IMD) balance the twin demands of scientific accuracy and public expectations, especially in the face of increasingly unpredictable climate events?
How does the role of India Meteorological Department (IMD) as a regional node of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) enhance India’s global standing in climate governance and disaster risk reduction?
To what extent has the adoption of indigenous technologies, such as the Bharat Forecast System and Monsoon Mission, by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) advanced India’s goals of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat 2047?
What are the key infrastructural and technological gaps that still limit the IMD’s ability to deliver accurate and localized forecasts, particularly in rural and remote areas?
(Kannan K is a doctoral candidate in Political Science at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies, Hyderabad.)
Share your thoughts and ideas on UPSC Special articles with ashiya.parveen@indianexpress.com.
Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week.
Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.
