Japanese Doppler radar in Srinagar for weather forecasting

Following the directions of the Supreme Court, authorities Saturday installed a hi-tech weather forecasting Japanese Doppler radar in the summer capital Srinagar.

"Following the directions of the honourable Supreme Court, the installation of a hi-tech weather forecasting Japanese Doppler radar has been started at the Met complex in Srinagar city," Sonam Lotus, director of the local Met Office, told IANS.

"Hopefully, the equipment will become operational by the end of this month".

Lotus also said the Japanese Doppler radar has been installed because Kashmir is a tourist destination besides being vulnerable to natural calamities like floods, cloudbursts, landslides and other weather related disasters.

The Met office director, however, said since the range of the radar would be only 100 kms, it can be useful only for short range weather forecasting.

"Once it becomes operational the Japanese Doppler radar would help in accurate weather forecasting up to a maximum of six hours as its range would be only 100 kms."

"For long term weather forecasting, we already have other hi-tech equipment installed at the Met complex in Srinagar", Lotus said.

Kashmir was hit by unprecedented floods in September last year in which more than 200 people perished.

The loss to public and private property caused by these floods was in tens of millions of rupees.

The flood-hit areas in Srinagar city and other parts of Jammu and Kashmir are yet to recover from the disaster.

The state government has submitted a flood loss estimate of over Rs.44,000 crore to the central government for assistance.

Although five months have passed since the floods hit the state, the relief and rehabilitation process is yet to fully take off.