Lack of a proper weather monitoring system was one of the major concerns after a massive landslide hit Wayanad in July last year. To address this lacunae in the disaster-hit district, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is set to install an X-band Doppler weather radar (DWR) at the campus of Pazhassiraja College in Pulpally. The IMD is planning to commission the radar ahead of the south west monsoon season.
Interestingly, the construction of a C-Band DWR is progressing at Mangaluru, which is expected to cover northern districts such as Kasargod and Kannur, apart from southern Karnataka districts. With the commissioning of these two new radars, Kerala is expected to get a state-wide Doppler coverage. It already has an S Band radar at Kochi and C-Band radar at Thiruvananthapuram.
The DWRs are categories based on the wavelength of the microwave radiation. While C-Band radars function at about 5 cm wavelength, X-Band radars function at 3 cm. S-band radar uses wavelengths between 8 and 15 cm. The C-Band radar provides radial coverage of 250 km from its centre, whereas X Band radar covers a radius of 100 km. The S-Band radar operational in Kochi is used for Cyclone detection along with weather forecasting.
So far, the S Band radar located at Kochi has been the one trusted by the weathermen for forecasts of northern districts for a long time. However, there were many challenges such as poor visibility of low lying clouds due to the effect of earth’s curvature.
Though a Doppler radar has been approved for the northern districts, the installation got delayed due to lack of a proper location. IMD director Neetha K Gopal told TNM that the challenge was in identifying a location that has minimal radar beam blockage. “The campus of Pazhassiraja College had these parameters in permissible level. The land was handed over to IMD for a nominal charge for 30 years. We have also agreed to figure out a research-cum-education project so that the facility and data will be beneficial for the students,” Neetha said.
“This X-Band radar was proposed considering the vulnerability of Wayanad. It will give a proper coverage of the entire Wayanad and nearby areas. We expect to install the facility before monsoon,” she added. The radar at Mangaluru is expected to begin trials within 10 days.
Under the Mission Mausam project of the Union Government, a new C-Band radar has been proposed at Lakshadweep, which will equip IMD track low pressure systems, cyclone formations and other weather developments in the Arabian Sea.