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PRINCE Charles Appreciates Accurate Forecast Of Cyclones By IMD To Minimize Loss of Casualty

Prince Charles visited India on 13th -14th November for celebrating British-India connections. Fascinated with the pin point accuracy of monitoring of cyclone FANI, Prince Charles visited the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on 13th November, 2019. Dr. M. Rajeevan, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences and Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology, India Meteorological Department, Prince Charles to IMD. Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), explained the activities of MoES and IMD to Prince Charles.  Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra made a presentation on the cyclone warning system of IMD showcasing India’s technological abilities in monitoring of severe weather events including tropical cyclones and their prediction and warning services. DGM IMD highlighted the evolution of cyclone warning system aftermath of Odisha Super Cyclone in 1999 which led to loss of 10,000 human deaths to the current modernised early warning system of IMD which has minimised the loss of lives to less than 100 due to very severe cyclonic storms crossing the coast since 2013. The modernised system has not only helped India, but also the 13 countries in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea region to minimize loss of lives to less than 100. The 13 member countries of WMO/ESCAP Panel in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea regions receiving the tropical cyclone advisories from IMD which also acts as Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre-Tropical Cyclones, New Delhi include Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Pakistan, Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, United Arab Emirates and also Somalia. He also highlighted the various approaches adopted by IMD to achieve this outcome. It included (i) vision & strategy adopted in 2010, (ii) policy & planning, (iii) new technologies introduced, (iv) new methodologies adopted, (v) research & development through various national & international collaborative programmes, (vi) capacity building through trainings & organisation of workshops & conferences for national & international forecasters and researchers & (vii) last mile connectivity.The modernised system has not only helped India, but also the 13 countries in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea region to minimize loss of lives to less than 100. The 13 member countries of WMO/ESCAP Panel in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea regions receiving the tropical cyclone advisories from IMD which also acts as Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre-Tropical Cyclones, New Delhi include Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Pakistan, Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, United Arab Emirates and also Somalia. · He also highlighted the various approaches adopted by IMD to achieve this outcome. It included (i) vision & strategy adopted in 2010, (ii) policy & planning, (iii) new technologies introduced, (iv) new methodologies adopted, (v) research & development through various national & international collaborative programmes, (vi) capacity building through trainings & organisation of workshops & conferences for national & international forecasters and researchers, (vii) last mile connectivity, (viii) impact based forecast, (ix) co-ordination &iaison with disaster managers & stake holders and confidence building measures with disaster managers & general public. · He also highlighted how accurate predictions have led to savings to government exchequer in terms of ex-gratia payments to kins of dead & injured and cost of evacuation in recent years. His Highness appreciated the accurate predictions during cyclone FANI which crossed Odisha coast in May, 2019 and recent cyclone Bulbul which crossed West Bengal-Bangladesh coast in November, 2019. He specially complemented IMD which also acts as Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre, New Delhi for providing the advisory services to the countries in the region to effectively mitigate disaster associated with cyclones.

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