Lucknow: Imagine that after the backbreaking labour of the farmer, the crop is ready in the fields, and a storm or cyclone is about to hit. If we get information about this from Akashvani at the right time, then the crop can be saved safely.
Weather forecast plays an important role in crop production, protection and maintenance. Understanding its importance, the central government will now provide hourly weather forecast updates to farmers at the gram panchayat level in the country through digital platforms under “Mission Mausam”.
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is going to start weather forecast service for gram panchayats in collaboration with the Indian Meteorological Department. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj launched the “Har Har Mausam, Ghar Ghar Mausam” scheme at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on 24 October. Under this, gram panchayats will get a daily weather forecast for five days. Apart from farming, this new system will also help a lot in disaster management.
This is how the weather forecast system will work
Till a few decades ago, experienced farmers of India used to guess the weather by looking at the color of the sky and the direction of the wind. In this era of climate change, weather forecasting and assessment has become a thing of the past.
Now with this initiative, through the website of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) – “Mausam Gram” and two apps of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj – “E Gram Swaraj” and “Meri Panchayat”, farmers will now be able to know the weather forecast from hour to next five days at the local level and will be able to make correct and safe plans for their farming.
This information will be available
On these digital platforms like “Mausam Gram” website and “Meri Panchayat” app, farmers sitting in any corner of India will be able to get information about rain, wind speed and direction, amount of humidity, minimum and maximum temperature, movement of clouds, weather from hour to next five days at the local level by just entering the name-address (district tehsil block) or pin code of their village. Not only this, panchayat representatives will also get information about extreme weather conditions like cyclone and heavy rainfall through SMS. This will help in protecting the lives, property, crops etc. of people.
Farmers will get help in making action plans
Senior Meteorologist of Regional Meteorological Center, Atul Kumar Singh said that with this new system, farmers will be equipped with information about the forecast of “local weather”. They will get a lot of help in planning and taking decisions regarding sowing, irrigation, harvesting, protection and maintenance of crops etc.
