India’s Mission Mausam: Enhancing Weather Forecasting

• The Union Cabinet has approved a ₹2,000 crore Mission Mausam, a major upgrade of weather forecasting instruments for India Meteorological Department, National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM).
• The mission aims to procure and install up to 60 weather radars, 15 wind profilers, and 15 radiosondes.
• The mission aims to improve weather forecasts on multiple timescales, including daily to seasonal monsoon predictions and heatwaves, cold waves, and local forecasts.
• Proposals include setting up a ‘cloud-simulation chamber’ at IITM to model rain clouds and test various “weather interventions.”
• Plans also include controlling lightning, which is the leading cause of nature-propelled deaths in India.
• Despite the feasibility of these experiments, investing in fundamental research in atmospheric sciences is a welcome move.