Radar That Could Have Helped Forecast Deadly Rajasthan Storm Was Broken

Jaipur: A critical component used to forecast weather events in Jaipur could have helped in predicting the dust-storm in Rajasthan on May 2 that killed over 35 people in the state. However, it couldn't. It had been dysfunctional for over ten days, an India Meteorological Department or IMD official said today.  

The doppler radar, a product of Finnish company Vaisala, had been dysfunctional due to some technical issues, additional director general of IMD Devendra Pradhan said. "We had been issuing alerts since April 29 using our doppler radar from Delhi. Had the Jaipur radar been working, we would have been in a much better position," he said. A doppler has a radius of over 250 km.

"The engineers of Vaisala, a Finnish company, are here. The problem will be rectified in the next two-three days," Mr Pradhan said. Sadly, they are late by a few days. 

The IMD depends on observatories and satellites for accurate weather forecasts besides the doppler radar, which helps in better assessment of the severity of a hailstorm, thunderstorms, wind movement and also aids in nowcasts - weather alerts issued for two-three hours. Out of the 27 doppler radars in the country, two of them are in Jaipur and Karaikal and they are dysfunctional. 

Meanwhile, acting director of IMD, Jaipur, Himanshu Sharma had a different story to tell. He stated that the doppler radar became faulty only on May 2 and was fixed the very next day. "However, we had issued a warning to the relief department about the dust storm that affected three districts of Rajasthan," Mr Sharma added.

Over 127 people were killed in the freak storms that hit several states in North India on May 2. It shattered houses, giving many victims no time to escape. Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have been one of the worst-hit states. Most of the deaths were reportedly due to lighting. 

The IMD has said the thunderstorm accompanied by severe winds were likely today over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab, Bihar, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Odisha, northwest Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Rayalaseema, north coastal Andhra Pradesh, interior Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

 Officials said the alert issued by the Jaipur IMD today was based on the doppler radar in Delhi. 

(With Inputs From PTI)