IMD Plans Hyper-Local Weather Forecasting System For Himalayan States: CM Omar Abdullah

JAMMU, Feb 20: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday said the India Meteorological Department is planning to introduce a hyper-local weather forecasting system for himalayan states and has identified seven districts for this, with special focus on early warnings for cloudburst-induced rainfall.
The IMD plans to install four additional doppler weather radars and 34 automatic weather stations and snow gauges in Jammu and Kashmir, the government said.
In a written reply to a question of National Conference MLA Sajad Shaheen in the Assembly, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the National Disaster Management Authority has identified seven districts across Himalayan states for focused intervention.
Ramban and Kishtwar have been selected from Jammu and Kashmir.
“Past data on cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides spanning the last 15 years is available with the Meteorological Centre in Srinagar, and has been used to assess district-wise vulnerability,” the chief minister said.
Based on human casualties, infrastructure damage and losses to agriculture, horticulture and livestock, districts have been classified into high, medium and low vulnerability categories.
In the Jammu division, Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Reasi and Udhampur fall under the high-vulnerability category, while Rajouri, Poonch and Kathua are in the medium category.
“Jammu and Samba have been placed in the low-vulnerability group”, the chief minister said.
In the Kashmir division, Anantnag, Kulgam and Ganderbal have been identified as highly vulnerable, while Budgam, Shopian and Pulwama fall under medium vulnerability. Srinagar, Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora have been categorised as low-vulnerability districts.
Abdullah said the IMD plans to install four additional doppler weather radars and 34 automatic weather stations and snow gauges in Jammu and Kashmir, in addition to the existing three X-band radars located at Srinagar, Jammu and Banihal.
“The new radars are proposed at Doda, Rajouri, Anantnag and Baramulla to strengthen early warning and weather service delivery,” he said.
Further, 26 additional automatic weather stations and eight snow gauges are proposed to be installed in far-flung and hilly areas, including Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Rajouri, Udhampur, Kupwara, Bandipora, Baramulla and Shopian.
The expanded observational network would significantly enhance forecasting and disaster preparedness for hydro-meteorological events, he said.
The Public Works (R&D) Department has also initiated long-term measures to mitigate damage to roads and bridges caused by flash floods and cloudbursts.
“These include slope stabilisation through geotechnical interventions such as retaining walls, breast walls, gabion structures and bio-engineering techniques, along with the adoption of disaster-resilient construction practices,” Abdullah said.
The updated hydrological and geotechnical assessments are being incorporated into detailed project reports, with vulnerable locations being prioritised for targeted interventions, subject to availability of funds, the government said.
At the Union Territory level, the Ministry of Home Affairs had deputed an inter-ministerial central team in September 2025 to assess flood-related damages.
Abdullah said a memorandum detailing losses and damages was submitted to the ministry on November 6, 2025. “Subsequently, a team led by the National Disaster Management Authority conducted a post-disaster needs assessment in November 2025, and its report has also been submitted to the Centre”.
An expert committee for Hazard, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (HVRA) has been constituted for Jammu and Kashmir to assess multi-hazard risks, prepare a hazard zonation framework and HVRA atlas, and integrate risk assessment outputs into planning and governance, he added. (Agencies)