The high-tech Doppler radar is likely to get operational by month end and is apt for short range weather forecasting. It has an area coverage of 100 km in which it will precisely be able to judge the amount and type of precipitation. Once the radar becomes operational, the met department will be able to forecast accurate weather up to a maximum of six hours.
The reason behind setting up of the radar is that Kashmir is vulnerable to natural calamities like floods, cloudbursts, landslides etc. Had there been a Doppler radar set up in Jammu and Kashmir, the state government might have been well prepared for the floods that claimed over 200 lives in the state last year, and caused immense damage to wealth and property.
Even after five months of the disaster, the state is yet to fully recover from this calamity. The state government has submitted a flood loss estimate of Rs 44, 000 crore to the Centre.
What is Doppler Radar?
Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar which is better than the conventional weather radar as it is used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, and estimate its type (rain, snow, sleet & hail etc.).
Latest weather radar technology employs pulse-Doppler radars, which are capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the intensity of the precipitation. Both types of data can be processed and analyzed to determine the intensity, movement of storms and their potential to cause devastation. Thus, in case of natural disasters like cloudburst and floods the Doppler weather radar may be able to forewarn people so as to minimize the loss of life and property.