Rs 10 crore-worth X-band Doppler system for what?

In olden days, the weather forecast department would play it safe, not making it certain whether it would rain or not. People could assume it either way, and for the same reason, the warning could never go wrong, and nobody complained. As time passed, technical systems improved, giving more accuracy predicting rains. Modern systems can provide warnings not only about rain but also about cloudbursts and earthquakes. Such systems are available in all developed countries. Despite all this, we are still witnessing the loss of lives when it rains badly in the state.

Even in the United States, hundreds of people have lost their lives in flash floods and cyclones. When such disasters occur, responsible administrators should take steps to further improve and make the warning systems flawless. The former Left government decided to set up a cloudburst warning system in Pulpally after the landslide disaster in the Mundakai and Chooralmala areas of Wayanad that claimed the lives of more than four hundred people.

A state-of-the-art X-band Doppler system was also installed for Rs 10 crore to provide flood warnings. The project, which was started with the aim of starting operations before the monsoon season this year, has not been commissioned yet despite being completed in May. The authorities explain that the commissioning has been delayed due to the implementation of the election code of conduct. Though it is understandable to some extent, preventing the commissioning of a completed project is against the public interest.

The Election Commission could have allowed commissioning by skipping the inauguration ceremony. Even after the new government came to power, no action was taken to start the flood warning system. The report prepared by our correspondent P.H. Sanalkumar, explaining the matter in detail, was published as the main news in Kerala Kaumudi on Wednesday.

Normal weather systems cannot detect cloudbursts. That is why the Doppler weather radar system is used. Such a system is essential in a state that witnesses flash floods every monsoon season.

Cloudbursts are predicted by analysing the data of electromagnetic waves from the radar that penetrate and absorb rain clouds using computer software.

This system can predict in advance how long the explosion will last and how intense it will be. It is a no-brainer to spend ten crore rupees to build such a system and then cover it up without doing anything. The government should take urgent steps to commission the Doppler radar and put an end to the loss of innocent lives.