“Mission Mausam” will strengthen radar network to seed and adjust clouds.
Mission Mausam: Major Upgrade of Forecasting Infrastructure and Weather Modification Research
• The Cabinet has cleared a ₹2,000-crore Mission Mausam, aimed at upgrading forecasting infrastructure and funding research into weather modification.
• The Ministry of Earth Sciences plans to procure and install up to 60 weather radars, 15 wind profilers, and 15 radiosondes.
• The data will provide regular updates on wind speeds, atmospheric pressure, humidity, and temperature, enabling more accurate rain-forecasts.
• A cloud-simulation chamber will be set up at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, to model rain clouds with precision.
• The mission aims to enable future “weather interventions” such as seeding clouds and controlling rainfall.
• India’s size and geographical variability make weather variability widely, but there aren’t enough radars to capture this variability.