BENGALURU: Over 200 outsourced weather observers operating manual rain gauges for the India Meteorological Department (IMD) across Karnataka have not received their honorarium for over a year, with some awaiting payments since 2023. The delays have disrupted daily rainfall reporting from key locations in the Western Ghats, resulting in significant data gaps in IMD’s public rainfall updates.
Manual weather observers play a vital role in rainfall monitoring system, particularly in remote, high-rainfall areas like the Western Ghats. These observers travel daily, often in difficult conditions, to collect rainfall data, which feeds into IMD’s ground-level datasets. Their reports are critical for real-time weather forecasting, flood and landslide alerts, and long-term climatological records. When their data is delayed or missing, it has wide reaching consequences. Emergency response, infrastructure planning, and climate modelling all depend on consistent and accurate rainfall records. Even a single day’s gap can compromise the reliability of historical climate data, highlighting the importance of timely compensation and support for these observers.
B Honnappa, 51, a weather observer from Bhagamandala in Kodagu who has been collecting rainfall data for 28 years, told TNIE, “The honorarium paid is Rs 30 to Rs 40 a day and it adds to nearly Rs 10,000. It is usually paid twice a year, but I haven’t received any payment for the last two years.”
Santhosh, 48, from Castle Rock village in Uttara Kannada, where annual rainfall ranges from 6,000 to 7,000 mm, said, “I received a partial payment of Rs 4,000, and that too six months ago. This is the only payment I have received in the past two years.”
The consequences of these delays are now visible in IMD’s rainfall dashboards. “Readers are not providing data because they are not being paid,” said Ravi Keerthi, a regular data user and weather observer from Mysuru. “I track Bhagamandala data, which went missing for several days in July. Stations like Castle Rock, Bhagamandala, Somwarpet, and many others are showing data gaps during the monsoon season,” he said.
When contacted by TNIE, N Puviarasan, Director of IMD Bengaluru, said, “We have cleared dues up to June 2024. The pending amounts will be released soon. There have been delays due to implementation of e-office but we are working to resolve them at the earliest.”