GS 3: Disaster Management | Disaster & disaster management

Why in news?

• A new technology has been developed by IMD to assess the rise of water level in rivers and reservoirs by rain and can help state governments to minutely monitor the impact of rainfall.

Impact Based Forecasting Approach:

• The technology shows “pre-event scenario which can help authorities in taking real-time decisions.
• With this the government can be able to generate a scenario where it can take decisions to release water or not release it.
• It will be helpful for every state authority to take a decision.
• There is another technology which would help in identifying warm ocean segments that are contributing to the rapid intensification of the systems.

Recent Kerala Floods:

• This system will help to avoid a disastrous situations similar to Kerala floods.
• The heavy downpour which had ravaged Kerala in August 2018, had caused death of around 500 people and economic damages worth over Rs 40,000 crore.
• Excessive rainfall had led to floods in Kerala and was the result of climate change.
• State Government had blamed IMD for lapses in its part for wrong rain forecast.
• IMD had forecasted estimated 98.5 mm rain in the state between 9 and 15 August, 2018 but Kerala received was 352.2 mm of rainfall resulting in severe flooding.

India Meteorological Department (IMD):

• It is the national meteorological service of the country and chief government agency dealing in everything related to meteorology, seismology and associated subjects.
• It was formed in 1975.
• It functions under Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• It is headquartered in New Delhi.

Mandate of IMD:

Undertake meteorological observations and provide current information and forecasting information for most favourable operation of weather-dependent activities such as irrigation, agriculture, aviation, shipping etc.

Offer warning against severe weather phenomenon such as tropical cyclones, norwesters, dust storms, heat waves, cold waves, heavy rains, heavy snow, etc

Provide met-related statistics needed for agriculture, industries, water resources management, oil exploration, and any other strategically important activities for the country.

Engage in research in meteorology and allied subjects.

Detect and locate earthquakes and evaluate seismicity in various parts of the country for developmental projects.