Dr Jitendra Singh, the Indian minister for earth sciences, has dedicated the indigenously developed high-resolution Bharat Forecast System.
Addressing extreme weather
Developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune, the weather forecast system enhances India’s weather prediction resolution from 12km to 6km, enabling every village in India to access more precise and location-specific forecasts. This advancement forms part of the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India’ initiatives.
Dr Singh said the development of the system underscores the government’s commitment to using modern technology to support traditional sectors like agriculture. He added that the system would help reduce crop loss and anomalies by improving extreme weather predictions – with a 30% improvement in extreme rainfall forecasts and a 64% enhancement in core zones, using real-time modeling based on the ‘Triangular Cubic Octahedral Grid model’.
Community expertise
Dr. Jitendra Singh also shared that the Bharat Forecast System is being spearheaded by four women scientists, reflecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Nari Shakti’. “Science ministries no longer empower women – we are being empowered by them,” he said.
Highlighting that this project has been carried out in India, Dr Singh said, “The efforts are Indian, the technology is Indian and the beneficiaries are Indian. This is true Atmanirbharta. Moreover, this system will also benefit other tropical regions globally, which face the most complex and variable weather challenges.”
He lauded the collaboration between IITM, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), ISRO and other institutions, describing it as a “whole of science” and “whole of government” approach that reinforced India’s cohesive scientific strategy.
“The last few years have seen a quantum leap in IMD’s forecasting capacity,” he recalled, referencing PM Modi’s participation in IMD’s 150th anniversary celebrations and the recently launched Mission Mausam, with a budget allocation of ₹2000 crore (US$234m) to upgrade India’s climate forecasting infrastructure.
In related news, Dr Jitendra Singh recently announced plans to expand the DWR network from the current 37 operational radars at present to 73 by 2025-26 and to 126 by 2026. Click here to read the full story