IMD D-G M Mohapatra highlighted India’s achievements in meteorology and explained how the country managed to reduce loss of lives during cyclones
India Meteorological Department (IMD) director general M Mohapatra will be contesting the election for one of the three posts of vice-president of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) which is a core position in the UN agency for monitoring climate change, early warnings and disaster preparedness, officials said.
The WMO executive council comprises a secretary general and a president, three vice-presidents, six regional association presidents and 27 directors of National Meteorological or Hydrometeorological Services.
The election for all the posts, which is held every four years, is scheduled to be held on Thursday.
Mohapatra’s election, IMD officials said, will allow India to influence the global policy on earning warnings and disasters.
“India has played a pivotal role in WMO since the beginning, being a founding member. The election to the executive council will further enable India to provide guidance on policy and planning as well as executing various strategic plans and objectives. It would also help in strengthening India’s role in improving weather and climate services across the globe in general and in the region in particular,”
Mohapatra said on his candidacy from Geneva.
Addressing the ongoing 19th WMO Congress on May 27, Mohapatra highlighted India’s achievements in meteorology and explained how the country managed to reduce loss of lives during cyclones.
“With the modernisation of the cyclone warning system in 2007, there was an improvement in forecast accuracy by 40% by 2020. As all of us know, the forecast accuracy by RSMC New Delhi has helped not only India but all the countries in the North Indian Ocean to minimise loss of lives to less than 100. The recent cyclone (Mocha) hitting Myanmar and Bangladesh coasts is a case in hand which demonstrates the capability of the region to minimise the loss of lives to less than 200 through response action by the government and people,” he said.
The WMO Congress is being held from May 22 to June 2.
Notable contributions from India in recent years include severe weather guidance to countries through observational support from INSAT 3D and 3DR satellites, geospatial tool called Rapid being used by many countries, radars for neighbouring countries, seven global and regional climate models, tropical cyclone, thunderstorm, heavy rainfall, wind and waves forecast to all countries in North Indian Ocean region, south Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
India is also carrying out polar research, including in north and south poles, and earth system modelling for climate change studies and international monsoon programme.
During the Congress, India has pledged support for WMO’s Early Warning for All, Multi-Hazard Early Warning System, Impact Based Forecast & Risk Based Warnings and Global Data Processing and Forecasting System.
Among important interventions made by the country during the Congress are that India will act as a peer advisor for systematic observation and forecasting facilities in least developed countries and small islands nations, and India will be willing to act as a regional climate centre for the Himalayan region as a whole.
Meanwhile, WMO approved a new greenhouse gas monitoring initiative during the Congress. The initiative seeks to fill information gaps and provide a framework for all space-based and surface-based observing systems, as well as modelling and data assimilation capabilities. The Congress also decided to elevate the cryosphere to one of its top priorities, “given the increasing impacts of diminishing sea ice, melting glaciers, ice sheets, permafrost and snow on sea level rise, water-related hazards and water security, economies and ecosystems,” WMO said.
WMO’s top decision-making body also endorsed a new resolution, calling for more coordinated observations and predictions, data exchange, research and services. The resolution seeks to ramp up activities, with a proposed increase in funding for research related to polar and high mountain areas which affect small island states and densely populated coastal zones due to sea level rise contributed by glacier melts.
“Like WHO (World Health Organisation), WMO is the lead UN body for meteorological and hydrometeorological services. It was earlier called the International Meteorological Organization and India was a founding member, so India has been playing a big role in WMO activities. India is a regional player now because of our capacity for weather and climate services. We have seen the services provided by India to Myanmar and Bangladesh during Mocha. Being in the WMO secretariat will help us influence policy on climate change for the developing region,” said M Rajeevan, former secretary, ministry of earth sciences.
