Visakhapatnam To Get Coastal Testbed for Natural Disaster Detection

Visakhapatnam: The Central Government has intensified efforts to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts in the country. As part of this initiative, testbeds are being established across India under the auspices of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, as part of Mission Mausam.

One such facility, the Coastal Atmospheric Research Testbed (ART), has now been proposed in Visakhapatnam to study climatic conditions specific to coastal regions.

In March 2024, a major testbed was inaugurated in Sehore district, Madhya Pradesh, spread across 100 acres and established at a cost of Rs 125 crore. Additionally, similar urban testbeds are being set up in Delhi, Chennai, and Mumbai to address city-specific weather challenges.

30 State-of-the-Art Instruments

For the first time in India, around 30 advanced weather-monitoring instruments would be made available at the Visakhapatnam testbed. These would help scientists study aerosols, clouds, wind patterns, radiation, and other meteorological elements with precision.

The data generated would enhance the weather prediction. It would be shared with students and researchers, boosting scientific studies in this field.

Mobile Doppler Radar for Coastal Studies

Learning from international practices, India would also introduce mobile radar technology in Visakhapatnam, similar to the model followed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), USA, which uses mobile radars to monitor tornadoes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.

A Doppler radar mounted on a truck would be deployed along the East Coast, enabling rapid monitoring of weather conditions during evolving natural disasters.

Speaking on the initiative, Dr. Suryachandra Rao, Director, IITM, said, “Every year, India suffers huge losses due to natural disasters such as torrential rains, floods, and heatwaves. To emerge as a global economic power, such losses must be minimised.”

“At the same time, there is an increasing demand for sector-specific weather forecasts. To address this, it is essential to enhance the accuracy of our weather predictions. The Visakhapatnam testbed will strengthen both education and scientific research on weather processes,” Rao added.

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