Mission Mausam

General Studies Paper -1

Context: The Prime Minister inaugurated Mission Mausam to mark the 150th anniversary of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

About Mission Mausam

• Aim: To upgrade the capabilities of India’s weather department in forecasting, modelling, and dissemination.
• Features:
  • Budget allocation: Rs 2,000 crore for the first two years of its implementation.
  • Focus areas: Weather surveillance, modelling techniques and forecasting.
  • Beneficiary Sectors: Agriculture, aviation, defence, disaster management, tourism and health.
• Phases:
  • Phase 1 (2025- March 2026): Focus on expanding observation capabilities and conducting simulation experiments.
  • Phase 2 (2026 onwards): Introduce satellites and aircraft to enhance observational precision.
  • Supervision: Mission Masum will be spearheaded by three institutions funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
  • The IMD, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, and the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting, Noida.
  • Cloud Chamber: India will build a cloud chamber, as required to study Indian monsoon clouds.

Need

• Improved Forecasting: Enhance forecast accuracy by 5-10% and extend predictions to panchayat levels with a 10-15 day lead time.
• Advanced Technology: Utilise AI, machine learning, and high-performance supercomputers to better model weather systems.
• Better Air Quality Predictions: Improve air quality forecasts in metro cities by up to 10%.
• Nowcasting Improvements: Reduce nowcast frequency from three hours to one hour for real-time weather updates.

Significance

• Extreme Weather Events: India faces extreme weather events like cloudbursts, lightning, and heavy rainfall, often causing both droughts and floods at the same time.
• Current weather models struggle to track small-scale events, so there is a need to improve weather prediction and management.
• Weather Modification: The mission explores weather modification techniques such as cloud seeding, already used in countries like the US, China, and UAE.
• By dispersing materials such as silver iodide into clouds, rainfall can be induced or suppressed.
• Preventing Floods: Modify rainfall patterns during prolonged rain in flood-prone areas.
• Enhancing Rainfall: Address droughts by stimulating precipitation.