HYDERABAD: The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) hosted a stakeholders meeting commemorating 150 years of establishment of the department at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies on Thursday. The event emphasised the importance of accurate weather forecasts, climate predictions and early warning systems, strengthening collaboration across agriculture, disaster management and urban planning.
Dr K Naga Ratna, Director of IMD Hyderabad stated: “The state now experiences 80% of rainfall, noting a significant variation, with global warming increasing the likelihood of extreme weather events. The effects are visible in irregular precipitation and more extreme weather conditions across the state,” she said.
During the event, delegates released the Sovereign of Climate Services of Telangana in both English and Telugu, as well as guidelines for managing extreme weather events like heatwaves and floods.
HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath emphasised the need for additional Automatic Weather Station (AWS) in Hyderabad to improve urban flood management, calling for more frequent data collection. Currently, the city has 157 stations providing hourly updates.
Representatives from 17 departments, including TGDPS, Geological Survey of India, NRSC, INCOIS, and UNICEF, discussed the importance of leveraging IMD data for public services.