Sukhu urges Centre to provide DWR, 150 automated weather stations to Himachal before next monsoon

Shimla, Oct 29 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has urged the Centre to provide one Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) and 150 automated weather stations before the next monsoon season for early weather updates amid increasing occurrences of natural disasters in the state.

The chief minister said that due to Himachal's topography and climate change, the state has witnessed an alarming rise in the frequency of natural disasters and has suffered huge losses.

Sukhu, who met Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh in New Delhi on Tuesday evening, requested that DWR and automated weather stations be provided in adequate numbers to ensure early and quick warnings of natural disasters in the state, an official statement said.

The DWR is an instrument that is able to detect and track the intensity and motion of rain, snow or hail, thus helping in predicting extreme weather events.

He also thanked the Union minister for approving Doppler radar for Lahaul Spiti and said that the weather-related data should be integrated with the national early warning agencies so that the state could receive accurate and timely alerts on adverse weather conditions.

The chief minister also requested a seismic laboratory and data analysis centre in the Kangra-Hamirpur zone, as these areas fall within seismic zone V and are prone to earthquakes.

He also urged for two additional air monitoring systems in higher reaches of the state and a weather data centre at Hamirpur, besides compact weather radar in shadow areas of the state.

Sukhu also called for the establishment of a biomanufacturing hub to make better use of plant-based natural resources in the state and stressed the need to set up plant-based packaging units to support environmental protection and sustainable development.

In addition, he sought support to strengthen space science education in the state through the space-on-wheels programme, AI and related refresher courses, so that students gain advanced knowledge in science education.

A detailed discussion was also held in the meeting on natural farming in Himachal Pradesh, along with land management and renewable energy-based smart agriculture. The Union Minister of the State also assured to fulfil the demands on priority, the statement added.

Himachal Pradesh suffered losses of Rs 46,000 crore over the past four years due to natural disasters and the impact of climate change, according to a state human development report released on Monday.

The report also said that around 1,700 people have lost their lives in the past five monsoon seasons. PTI BPL APL APL AMJ AMJ