Kalpetta: In a move to enhance weather surveillance and disaster preparedness in North Kerala, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) will soon install an X-Band Doppler Weather Radar system at the Pazhassi Raja College campus in Pulppalli. The radar, also equipped with a landslide warning alarm, is expected to be installed in the coming months.  

The Kerala State Department of Disaster Management, in an order dated April 9, granted approval to the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) to enter a tripartite agreement with IMD and the Pazhassi Raja College management for the deployment of the radar on the college campus. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed soon. 

The land, identified after months of surveys and trials, will be leased to KSDMA for a period of 30 years. However, the radar will be installed, maintained, and operated by the IMD. 

IMD Director Neetha K Gopal told Onmanorama that finally, her team, with the help of KSDMA, identified the most suitable location for installation of the radar. "It was approved much earlier, but identifying the right land has caused the delay", she said. The land was cleared of rocks and hills, as a 360 degree open space is essential for scanning the entire environment. "Though the radius of the radar is 150 km, it can ensure error-free predictions of a 100 km aerial distance, " she said. 

She also noted that the radar system is ideal for providing localised weather data. The facility also requires around 25 cents of land, road access for transporting the heavy equipment, high-speed internet connectivity and staff quarters.  

The radar system, costing around ₹6 crore, is being supplied by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Bangalore, and comes with a 7-year maintenance contract.

The KSDMA has long emphasized the need for a specialised radar like the X-band to be installed in northern Kerala in the wake of the devastating landslides in Wayanad. Over 300 people were killed in the disaster, which exposed the shortcomings of the weather monitoring systems in the country, particularly in providing landslide warnings. 

The IMD had issued only an orange alert ahead of the disaster, forecasting rainfall between 115 mm and 204 mm. However, the region received over 500 mm of rain within 48 hours, far exceeding the prediction. A red alert was issued only after two villages had already been washed away by the landslide.

Moreover, micro-level weather monitoring systems in Wayanad, operated by the Hume Centre for Ecology and Wildlife Biology, had issued landslide warnings for specific areas up to 16 hours in advance, underscoring the need for a more centralised and integrated approach to predict natural disasters.

To address these shortcomings and strengthen the country’s weather monitoring infrastructure, the Union government launched the ₹2,000-crore 'Mission Mausam Project'. Under the initiative, 56 new radars will be installed in disaster-prone regions across India, including the Himalayan region.