Further strengthening of IMD capabilities required for cyclone risk reduction: NIDM report – Times of India

Pune: As the frequency and impact of cyclonic systems are increasing in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, National Disaster Management Institute (NIDM) in a recent report has said that it is important to analyse the gaps and draw lessons from the cumulative experience of the cyclones frequenting Indian Coasts.
“It will not be an exaggeration to reflect that though there has been a remarkable improvement in disaster response yet there is a long way to go in the context of overall risk reduction with particular reference to cyclones, which will be a function of the application of the latest scientific knowledge coupled with cyclone resilient development of our coastal regions,” it said.
In its recent report, NIDM said that there was a need for further strengthening of the IMD. “Though the IMD has a creditable reputation in the field of early warning and forecasting, yet there is a need to further strengthen the capabilities of IMD and associated early warning agencies in the country by enabling them with the state of art instruments and technology. There is a need to enhance the deployment of the Doppler Weather Radar Network in the coastal areas and deploy airborne and satellite-enabled warning systems. The benefits of investment in advanced systems and technologies will justify the cost involved in tangible and non-tangible terms,” the NIDM report said.
It said that all possible communication links are to be used to communicate an early warning to the vulnerable population including fishermen at sea. “There is a need for the acquisition of systems enabling tracking of all fishing vessels for monitoring compliance to the early warning communication. There is also a need to improve coordination in the dissemination of warnings down to the Panchayat level. SOPs need to be evolved at the DEOC level to monitor compliance of instructions following early warning, particularly in remote areas,” it said.