(a) the salient features of the Automated Weather Stations (AWSs) being installed by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in the country;
(b) the details of functional AWSs in the State of Kerala, location-wise;
(c) whether it is a fact that the Government has recently received proposal from the State Government of Kerala seeking the installation of AWSs to predict weather conditions in the State; and
(d) if so, the details thereof and the response of the Government thereto?
THE MINISTER FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND
MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES
(DR. HARSH VARDHAN)
(a) The salient features of Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) are given below:
(i) The AWS system can be programmed to deliver data at user defined temporal and spatial resolution depending on the need and application.
(ii) The AWS can be deployed at remote and inhospitable locations to obtain meteorological observations.
(iii) Satellite telemetry based AWS are able to provide data even during severe weather conditions when all other communication links may fail.
(iv) Of late mobile telemetry based AWS are being deployed at field sites owing to better network coverage across the country. These systems can be configured remotely for user defined measurement schedule.
(b) The details of functional AWSs in the State of Kerala are given in the table below;
S.N. DISTRICT STATION
1 ALAPPUZHA KAYAMKULAM
2 IDUKKI MUNNAR
3 IDUKKI VAZATHOPE
4 KASARGOD KUDULLUR_AGRO
5 KOTTAYAM KUMARAKOM_AGRO
6 PALAKKAD PALAKKAD
7 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM VELLAYANI
8 THRISSUR VELLANIKKARA
9 WAYANAD AMBALAVAYAL_AGRO
(c) Yes, a proposal for installation of 100 AWS has been received from the State Government of Kerala.
(d) India Meteorological Department has recently taken up a project for procurement and installation of 100 AWSs for installation in the state of Kerala.