The Uttar Pradesh government is contemplating the launch of a satellite catering to weather monitoring and early warning systems, to natural disasters, says state chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday.
While inaugurating a new upgraded Regional Meteorological Centre in Lucknow, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister made the remarks. Union Minister for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh also attended the event.
Emphasizing the significance of the accurate forecasting of weather, Adityanath said timely information is of great importance in minimizing the impact of disasters like heavy rainfall, drought, storm, lightning etc. He said the number of weather stations has grown considerably over the past few years in the state’s weather observation network, but there are still areas that need to be filled.
The chief minister says the planned satellite will register solely weather-related parameters of the state of Uttar Pradesh. The new regional meteorological centre would prove to be a crucial instrument in helping to carry out these tasks and boost the forecasting infrastructure across the state, he said.
Adityanath, pointing to harsh storms in several districts on May 13 when there was heavy loss of life and property, added that weather warnings were sent but the receiving at the local level was inadequate. After meeting with the district officials, measures have been put in place to make the warning system more effective.
The arranged coordination has since proven effective in its subsequent implementation to address future adverse weather which resulted in mobile warnings being sent to the larger population several hours before, the chief minister said. He stressed that improved forecasting and communication systems will help save people’s lives, properties and livelihoods in the future.