A panel of Parliamentarians has slammed the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for its inaccurate monsoon forecast which tend to cast a heavy toll on Indian agriculture. In its report tabled in Parliament recently, the committee said that scientists and officers of IMD should be adequately trained to keep them abreast with latest technological changes in weather forecasting.
“Acquiring sophisticated computing systems without having trained personnel to use it is nothing but a wasteful expenditure,” the committee observed.
Citing the example of 2009, when IMD first predicted monsoon rains to be almost 96% of the Long Period Average (LPA), which was subsequently scaled down and the actual rains turned out of almost 22% less than normal, pushing the country into its worst drought in decades, the panel of Parliamentarians said that in a country like India where a large section of the population is engaged in agriculture accurate weather forecast should be given top priority in all the 16 agri zones in the country.
Advocating the need for through training of scientists and personnel of IMD, the committee observed that though the department and the ministry of earth sciences are addressing the issue of but we( members of the committee) are again emphasis on the issue because training is an ongoing process so as to keep pace with the latest technologies being used world over to predict monsoon.
The panel also said that India should adopt the dynamical method of monsoon prediction as has been the norm world over, instead of relying on its current method. ?In view of the importance of monsoon in Indian agriculture, the dynamic model framework used worldwide be put in place without any further delay, if it is proven suitable for the country by climate research scientists,? the members said.
The committee further said that department of agriculture should coordinate actively with the IMD on a continuous basis so as to remain better informed and thus manage risks of failed monsoons more efficiently, as well as take practical and timely decisions to save the country from the adverse impact of recurring drought.
India’s foodgrain production in 2009-10 crop marketing season dropped by almost 10% due to low paddy production. Prices of fruits, vegetables and pulses too rose sharply due to low production. This year though, southwest monsoon has been more than normal in most parts of the country barring the eastern states of Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa and Assam.