Dehradun, Nov 30 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Earth Sciences, Dr Jitendra Singh, announced here that while three weather radars have already been installed at Uttarakhand’s Surkanda Devi, Mukteshwar and Lansdowne, three more radars will soon be commissioned at Haridwar, Pantnagar, and Auli, thus further strengthening real-time forecasting capability for the region.

Addressing the World Summit on Disaster Management here, Dr Singh said that the Centre has significantly expanded Uttarakhand’s meteorological and disaster-monitoring infrastructure over the last ten years. He informed that 33 meteorological observatories, a network of radio-sonde and radio-wind systems, 142 automatic weather stations, 107 rain gauges, district-level and block-level rainfall monitoring systems, and extensive app-based outreach programmes for farmers have been established to improve early warning dissemination.

The minister stated that India has initiated a specialised Himalayan climate study programme to analyse the conditions that trigger sudden cloudbursts, with the objective of generating predictive indicators for vulnerable districts. He mentioned that the “Nowcast” system, which provides a three-hour forecast and has been successfully used in major metros, is now being expanded across Uttarakhand to provide timely alerts to administrations and communities.

He also highlighted the coordinated efforts of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the Ministry of Earth Sciences and several scientific institutions in developing advanced forest fire weather services, describing it as a whole-of-government and whole-of-science model for climate resilience.

Expressing concern over the lack of compliance in some regions with IMD alerts, Dr Singh highlighted the need for stricter administrative response. He recalled a recent incident in Jammu & Kashmir where a newly appointed IAS officer prevented a major tragedy by immediately shutting down the highway following a red alert issued by the IMD, demonstrating how timely action can save lives.

He said that land-use regulations issued jointly by the NDMA, the Ministry of Environment, and the urban development bodies must be implemented with absolute seriousness to prevent long-term ecological and infrastructural damage. He also warned that illegal mining along riverbeds and near newly constructed highways is becoming a dangerous man-made threat, eroding foundations and amplifying flash flood impacts, and urged communities to recognise that short-term gains often lead to long-term destruction.

Dr Singh also spoke about transforming Himalayan strengths into economic opportunity through agri-startups and CSIR-led value-addition models. Sharing successful experiences from Jammu & Kashmir, he said that several young professionals, including B.Tech and MBA graduates, have left private sector jobs to join CSIR-supported enterprises because of higher incomes and better market linkages. He urged CSIR to work closely with the Uttarakhand government to replicate these proven livelihood models, which combine science, entrepreneurship, and local resource utilisation.

Highlighting India’s growing global role in disaster resilience, he noted that India is increasingly offering its technical expertise and services to neighbouring countries. He recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment at COP-26 to achieving Net Zero by 2070, and emphasised that disaster preparedness, climate adaptation, and early warning systems are integral to sustainable economic growth. Preventing economic loss, he said, is as important as generating new economic value, and disaster mitigation must therefore be seen as an economic as well as humanitarian priority.

Dr Jitendra Singh congratulated Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and all organisers for convening the World Summit on Disaster Management. He said the discussions and insights emerging from Uttarakhand will meaningfully contribute to the global narrative on disaster mitigation, climate adaptation, and resilient development, and reaffirmed the Government of India’s commitment to strengthening scientific capacity, forecasting accuracy and inter-agency coordination for vulnerable Himalayan regions.

–IANS

sps/vd