CCEA nod for Monsoon Mission; may lead to accurate forecasts

New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI) India will soon move to a dynamic model of monsoon forecasting which would be arrived at after analysing more recent weather observations, thus improving their accuracy. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, at a meeting Thursday chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved the National Monsoon Mission which would implement the dynamic prediction system of monsoon forecasts. Currently, India Meteorological Department (IMD) relies heavily on the Ensemble Statistical Forecasting system for the long range forecast of monsoon. The National Monsoon Mission, which has a budget of Rupees 4.0 billion (about USD 77 million) over a five-year period, will build partnerships between academic and research institutions to improve operational forecast skills. The Mission will also set up a state of the art dynamic modelling framework for improving the prediction skill of seasonal and extended range prediction system (16 days to one season) and short to medium range prediction system (up to 15 days). "The forecasts based on this prediction system will cater to the needs of various sectors like agriculture, water resources management, power generation, disaster management, tourism and transport," an official release said. PTI