Address by AVM Dr. Ajit Tyagi, Director General of Meteorology, India

Meteorological Department, New Delhi

Hon’ble Minister Janab Ghulam Hassan Mir

Prof Anwar Alam, VC, Sher-e-Kashmir Univ of Sc. & Technology,

Ms. Naseem Lankar, Divisional Commmissioner, Kashmir

Dr LS Rathore, Head Agromet Services, IMD

Distinguished Delegates from different organization

Representatives from Press & Visual Media,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Aadab and a very Good Morning to all of you,

I am really very happy to be with you in this beautiful city and share some of my views on the occasion of this one day workshop on a very relevant topic concerning the Himalayan region.

Meteorological Centre Srinagar working since 1973 has been catering to all the meteorological needs of Jammu and Kashmir. I am proud that this centre, continued to provide the services even during the disturbed period during the past without any break. The officers and the staff of this office and the state administration which provided unhindered support deserve my complements on this occasion.

There is hardly any need for me to emphasize the multifold increase in the demand for timely, precise and accurate weather information specific to various users/sector like tourism, executive planners, hydro-electric projects, agriculture, irrigation, disaster management and other stake holders for both tactical and strategic planning. The physiographic peculiarities of the state ranging from plains & valleys to some of the highest mountain ranges in the world; from hot plains in summers to the regions of sub-zero temperatures; and from very heavy precipitation areas in the Pir Panjal Ranges to the cold desert of Laddakh make the state unique in terms of the requirements for weather and climate services. Huge potential of the state for tourism & hydro-electric energy and the difficult terrains in the state add to the special requirements of the state for these services. Also the state falls in the high risk zone of seismic activities, Heavy rainfall/snowfall, uneven distribution of rainfall & temperature among different regions of the state and severe thunderstorm activities; and is prone to landslides and avalanches leading to huge losses of life and property. Occasional floods in the rivers also add to the meteorological hazards in the region.

The other aspect of meteorological services that has caught the attention in the recent past is the phenomena of climate change. The 4^th assessment report of the IPCC has categorically brought out that the cold and the hilly regions are expected to witness the climate change to a greater extent. The Himalayan Region, known as the 3^rd Pole, has come under sharp Focus in view of accelerated warming and the consequent melting of glaciers and other associated adverse impacts on the eco-systems. Studies by the India Meteorological Department also show that the rainfall/snowfall in the state is showing a decreasing tendency in the state during the winter season whereas the precipitation is increasing in the other seasons. The anticipated increase in the incidence of extreme weather events in view of a warmer climate also demands augmentation of weather services in the region and closer cooperation between IMD and the coordinating agencies of the state. The recently concluded ‘Conclave of the Chief Ministers of the Himalayan States’ in Shimla has also recognized the seriousness of the threat posed by climate change to the Himalayan States. The increase in variability of the weather parameters warrants that the agricultural and horticultural systems adjust to the evolving weather patterns in the state.

India Meteorological Department has under taken an ambitious program to improve the observational network and augmentation of customized weather services to different sectors in the country. One Automatic Weather Station and two automatic rain gauges have been planned for each district in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. These state of the art weather stations are capable of measuring the weather conditions of a place continuously and transmit the same to any desired location instantaneously. Commissioning of these instruments will provide reliable distribution of weather parameters over the state for planning purposes. The observatory for measuring the upper atmosphere over Srinagar has recently been upgraded by installing the state of the art instruments; and two new ones had already been installed at Jammu and Sasoma in collaboration with the SASE. A Doppler Weather Radar has also been planned for the state during the 2^nd phase of modernization of the IMD.

The state lies in a high seismic risk zone. At present we have 4 earth quake recording stations in the state. With this network, IMD is able to quickly provide the information about earthquakes of Magnitude 5 and above only. This network will be augmented to 6 and replaced by the latest digital on-line instrument in about an year’s time. This would enable IMD to instantaneously provide information to the concerned authorities for all earth quakes in the region having magnitude 3 and above. Studies on hazard evaluation for earth quakes in 38 Major populated areas in the earth quake prone zones of the country is being undertaken and Srinagar has been included in the priority list. Also the digitized data of all the earth quakes in the region will be made available to the researchers for carrying out research in this field.

The Meteorological and the seismological conditions of the state thus pose greater challenges before the meteorological community and the state administration. However, I feel that the time is ripe for converting these challenges into opportunities. I understand that excellent cooperation exists between the state administration and the IMD. Special round the clock weather surveillance is provided by IMD during Shri Amarnathji Yatra all along the Yatra route; and the state authorities are providing all the required logistics. Also special forecasts are provided during severe weather events, for election arrangements and during the visits of high level dignitaries. I am happy to learn that the state administration is taking the required actions as warranted by the forecasts and has been able in the past to minimize the adverse impacts. IMD now proposes to provide the forecasts specially tailored for different sectors of Economy such as Tourism, Road and Rail Transport, Hydroelectric Projects and Agriculture & horticulture to name a few. IMD has established 4 Agrometeorological Field Units- one each in the 4 Agro-climatic regions of the states. Weather based advisories are being provided to the farmers from these units for taking maximum benefits in case of favourable weather conditions and to minimize the losses due to the adverse weather. Tourism is another sector in the state which can benefit immensely from weather services. Roadways and Railways (Particularly the newly operationalised rail services in the valley) can use the weather for optimizing their operations. I am happy to inform you that we have started special weather forecasts for the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and the same is now being posted on the website. Weather display boards are being planned along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and along the route to Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine.

Understanding the specific requirements of different users is important to better assess the kind of weather products required, their frequency and mode of communication so as to meet these requirements. This workshop would also provide the IMD an opportunity to present the status of meteorological services in Western Himalayas, specifically in the state of Jammu & Kashmir and to further improve the co-ordination with various users

We have the participants from different departments and organization as well as from the private sectors in addition to the Army, SASE and media. Their valuable role in this workshop will be very useful in make the strategies to prove the better meteorological services to these users. I wish very fruitful deliberations during the workshop and wish that some very useful recommendations will emerge from this workshop.

Thank you.