Met to install ARG stations to analyse rainfall trend

PANJIM, MAY 6
Goa Meteorological Department will be installing eight Automatic Rain Gauge (ARG) stations across the State to ensure there is real time mapping of the rainfall.
“It’s a project embarked by Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) across the country. And as a part of this project we are going to install ARG in our State, which will analyse rainfall trend in much better way,” IMD, Goa in-charge K V Singh told Herald.
He said that the idea behind installing these automatic gauges is to avoid any real time delay in gathering data.
“It will help to gather rainfall data every hour from remote and inaccessible areas that otherwise takes a couple of days or hours owing to the difficulties in having proper communication channels between these places and us,” Singh said.
The Met department has selected eight places across the state for the installation of ARG but the department is waiting for No Objection Certificates (NOC’s) from various departments.
“It’s not possible to reveal the names of sites at the movement. We are waiting for NOC’s from forest and agriculture departments,” he said.
The entire project is of Rs 15 lakh as sanctioned by Union ministry.
Giving more boosts to weather forecast, the department has set up Automatic Weather System (AWS) in Panjim and is planning to have two more in South Goa.
“One will be installed at Mormugao shortly and we are looking for yet another site in South district itself. The total cost is Rs 15 lakh and it’s funded by the Central government,” Singh said.
Singh explained that the AWS would have meteorological sensors to measure various parameters, including the relative temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure and wind speed and direction. It would update information on an hourly basis.
“The system will save man power and will also help in the measurement from far areas,” he added.
The department last year installed Global Positioning System (GPS) worth Rs 84 lakh, to measure vertical profile of water vapour in vertical atmosphere.
The observatory will be soon installing sophisticated Doppler radar costing Rs 11 crore, which will make climate forecast a much accurate task.
The radar has already arrived in Goa on April 8. However, the work of installation is yet to be started as the work of the building is still under process.
Since last six months, the Met department is working on modifying the radar building at Altinho with the help of Central Public Work Department (CPWD).
Singh confirmed that since the radar has been made in China, experts from China will be coming to Goa to install the same.
The Met department hopes that the new high-tech sophisticated computer operated Doppler radar will enable them to render near accurate forecast, especially during monsoons.
Union Minister of Earth Sciences, Prithviraj Chavan in a reply to the Goa Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Shantaram Naik has said that Rs 12.30 crore has been already sanctioned to the Met department in Goa.
Singh said that the as per the sanctioned amount, the instruments (GPS, ARG and AWS) are being installed.
“Doppler radar is yet another instrument funded by the ministry and will be installed soon,” he said.