Through this comprehensive initiative, the Government of India aims to enhance resilience against climate change and extreme weather events, ultimately benefiting communities across the nation.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has unveiled an ambitious new project aimed at transforming India’s weather and climate forecasting capabilities. Dubbed ‘Mission Mausam,’ the initiative is set to receive a substantial investment of 2,000 crores over the next two years, as announced by the Union Cabinet on September 11, 2024.

The announcement was made during a national-level media briefing held at Prithvi Bhavan in New Delhi, chaired by Dr. M. Ravichandran, Secretary of MoES. He was joined by Dr. Mritunjay Mohapatra, Director General of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), and Dr. V.S. Prasad, Head of the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF).

Mission Mausam aims to make India ‘Weather Ready’ and ‘Climate Smart’ by significantly improving the nation’s weather and climate observation systems. This initiative is designed to enhance the accuracy, timeliness, and utility of weather forecasts, ultimately aiding in climate resilience and mitigation of extreme weather impacts.

The mission represents a significant step forward in bolstering India’s capabilities in weather and climate sciences, positioning the country as a leader in the field. Through this comprehensive initiative, the Government of India aims to enhance resilience against climate change and extreme weather events, ultimately benefiting communities across the nation.

Key Objectives and Investments

The mission’s objectives are comprehensive and multifaceted. It includes the development of cutting-edge weather surveillance technologies and systems, such as next-generation radars and satellites equipped with advanced instruments. Additionally, the project will deploy high-performance computers (HPC) to boost computational capabilities.

Specific goals of Mission Mausam include:

• Establishing 50 Doppler Weather Radars (DWR)
• Setting up 60 Radio Sonde/Radio Wind (RS/RW) stations
• Installing 100 disdrometers
• Deploying 10 Wind Profilers and 25 radiometers
• Developing an urban testbed, a process testbed, and an ocean research station
• Adding 10 Marine Automatic Weather Stations with upper air observation capabilities

Dr. Ravichandran emphasized that the mission will improve forecasts on both spatial and temporal scales. It aims to advance the understanding of weather and climate processes through enhanced data assimilation and the integration of physics-based models with data-driven artificial intelligence and machine learning methods.

Impacts and Innovations

“By March 2026, we expect a broader network of radars, wind profilers, and radiometers to enhance observational capabilities,” Dr. Ravichandran said. “The mission will foster greater innovations, research, and development in atmospheric sciences.”

Mission Mausam will also focus on improving data dissemination and capacity-building efforts to ensure that weather and climate information reaches all stakeholders effectively. The initiative is expected to provide significant economic and social benefits by offering better services for weather, climate, and natural hazard management.

The implementation of Mission Mausam will be spearheaded by three key MoES institutions: IMD, NCMRWF, and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. These institutions will collaborate with other MoES entities, including the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services and the National Institute of Ocean Technology, as well as national and international academic and industry partners.