Jaipur doppler radar dysfunctional when dust storm hit UP, Raj

The doppler radar in the Jaipur Met office, a critical component in the accurate forecasting of weather events, was not working the night of May 2 when a high velocity dust storm cut a swathe of destruction through parts of Rajasthan, killing at least 35 people, an IMD official said.

The doppler, a product of Finnish company Vaisala, has been dysfunctional for the last 10 days, said Devendra Pradhan, additional director general of the India Meteorological Department.

"The doppler radar of Jaipur has been dysfunctional for the last 10 days due to some technical issues. The engineers of Vaisala, a Finnish company, are here. The problem will be rectified in the next two-three days," Pradhan told PTI.

Besides doppler radars, the IMD depends on observatories and satellites for accurate weather forecasts.

A doppler radar helps in better assessment of the severity of a hailstorm, thunderstorms, wind movement and also helps in nowcasts, weather alerts issued for two-three hours, Pradhan explained.

"It is an important tool for disaster management," Pradhan, who looks after doppler radars across the country, said.

Of the 27 IMD doppler radars in the country, two, in Jaipur and Karaikal, are not working, 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.

There was a fault in the doppler radar on May 2, which was rectified the next day, said Himanshu Sharma, acting director, IMD Jaipur.

"However, we had issued a warning to the relief department about the dust storm that affected three districts of Rajasthan," Sharma added.

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