Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced that Uttarakhand will get 3 new weather radars, bringing the total to 6, to enhance disaster forecasting. Speaking at a summit in the state, he praised its disaster response and resilience leadership.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Jitendra Singh, said that three weather radars have already been installed in Uttarakhand at Surkanda Devi, Mukteshwar and Lansdowne, and three more radars at Haridwar, Pantnagar and Auli will be commissioned soon, thus further strengthening the real-time forecasting capability for the region.
Addressing the World Summit on Disaster Management, the Earth Sciences Minister described Uttarakhand as the most natural and appropriate place for global discussions on disaster resilience, given its lived experiences, geographical sensitivity and Himalayan ecosystem. The summit was attended by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, MP Naresh Bansal, NDMA Member Agarwal, Science and Technology Secretary Nitish Kumar Jha, Graphic Era University President Prof. Kamal Ghansala, Director General Durgesh Pant, SDMA Vice President Rohila, along with faculty, experts and students.
Uttarakhand’s Journey in Disaster Governance
On this occasion, Singh said that Uttarakhand’s journey over the past 25 years, including its Silver Jubilee celebrations, has given the state a distinct identity in disaster response and governance. He recalled that the successful Silkyara Tunnel rescue operation, completed exactly two years ago, will remain a historic benchmark in global disaster management. He said that future research on Himalayan disasters will highlight Uttarakhand and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s leadership at critical moments. He said that holding a global summit of this scale in a state with both cultural richness and vulnerability gives the event symbolic significance.
Increased Hazards and Climate Change Impact
The Union Minister stated that hydrometeorological hazards have increased rapidly in Uttarakhand over the past decade, with the 2013 Kedarnath cloudburst and the 2021 Chamoli disaster being turning points. He stated that scientific analysis points to a combination of climate change impacts, rapidly retreating glaciers, glacier-lake outburst risks, the fragile Himalayan mountain system, deforestation, and human-made encroachments disrupting natural drainage routes. He noted that terms like “cloudburst” and “flash flood”, which were rarely used twenty-five years ago, have now become part of everyday vocabulary due to the increasing frequency of such events.
Expanding Early Warning and Monitoring Systems
Singh elaborated that the Government of India has significantly expanded Uttarakhand’s meteorological and disaster monitoring infrastructure over the past 10 years. He explained that 33 meteorological observatories, a network of radio-sonde and radio-wind systems, 142 automatic weather stations, 107 rain gauges, district-level and block-level rainfall monitoring systems, and extensive app-based outreach programmes for farmers have been established to improve early warning dissemination. He said that three weather radars have already been installed in Surkanda Devi, Mukteshwar, and Lansdowne, and three more will soon be commissioned in Haridwar, Pantnagar, and Auli. This will further strengthen the region’s real-time forecasting capability.
The Union Minister informed that India has launched a special Himalayan Climate Study Program to analyse the conditions that trigger flash cloudbursts. Its objective is to develop forecast indicators for vulnerable districts. He said that the “Nowcast” system, which provides three-hour forecasts, has been successfully used in major metropolitan cities. It is now being expanded across Uttarakhand to provide timely alerts to the administration and communities. He also highlighted the coordinated efforts of the NDMA, the Ministry of Earth Sciences, and several scientific institutions in developing advanced forest fire weather services, calling it a whole-of-government and whole-of-science model for climate resilience.
Need for Administrative Action and Compliance
Expressing concern over the lack of compliance with weather warnings in some areas, Singh stressed the need for a strong administrative response. He recalled a recent incident in Jammu and Kashmir in which a newly appointed IAS officer prevented a major tragedy by immediately closing a highway after receiving a red alert from the Meteorological Department. This demonstrates how timely action can save lives. He said that land use regulations issued jointly by the NDMA, the Environment Ministry, and urban development bodies must be implemented with the utmost seriousness to prevent long-term ecological and infrastructure damage. He also warned that illegal mining along riverbanks and newly constructed highways is becoming a dangerous man-made hazard. It is destroying foundations and exacerbating the effects of flash floods and urges communities to recognise that short-term gains often lead to long-term destruction.
Transforming Challenges into Economic Opportunities
Singh also spoke about transforming the Himalayas’ strengths into economic opportunities through agri-startups and CSIR-led value-addition models. Sharing successful experiences from Jammu and Kashmir, he noted that many young professionals, including BTech and MBA graduates, have left private sector jobs to join CSIR-supported enterprises due to higher incomes and better market linkages. He urged CSIR to work with the Uttarakhand government to replicate these proven livelihood models that combine science, entrepreneurship, and local resource utilisation.
India’s Leadership in Global Disaster Resilience
Speaking on India’s growing global role in disaster resilience, Singh said that India is increasingly providing its technical expertise and services to neighbouring countries. He recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment at COP-26 to achieve net zero by 2070. He said that disaster preparedness, climate adaptation, and early warning systems are integral to sustainable economic development. He said that preventing economic losses is as important as creating new economic value, and therefore, disaster mitigation must be viewed as an economic and humanitarian priority.
Singh congratulated Chief Minister Dhami and all the organisers for organising the World Summit on Disaster Management. He said that the discussions and insights emerging from Uttarakhand will make a meaningful contribution to the global narrative on disaster mitigation, climate adaptation, and resilient development. He reaffirmed the Government of India’s commitment to strengthening scientific capacity, forecast accuracy, and inter-agency coordination for the vulnerable Himalayan regions. (ANI)
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