Why in news
Kerala state government and the Central government are at odds over the response to the Wayanad landslide
Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that early warning systems were used to alert the Kerala government before the landslides
Forecast Discrepancies
On July 18, IMD forecasted flash flood risks in northern Kerala but did not include Kerala in the extended forecast for July 18-31
On July 23, IMD issued warnings for heavy rainfall in Kerala and Mahe, with a yellow alert for July 23-27 and an orange alert for July 25.
Amit Shah claimed an early warning for heavy rainfall and landslides was given on July 26
but IMD’s release that day only had a yellow alert.
Kerala Chief Minister Vijayan criticized the forecasts and Shah's claims about disaster response, highlighting ongoing improvements in weather prediction since 2012
Different Alerts
India Meteorological Department (IMD): Issues weather forecasts, including alerts for heavy rainfall, flash floods, and general monsoon updates.
It functions under Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)
India set up the National Monsoon Mission in 2012 (now called the ‘Monsoon Mission’ or MM) to improve India’s monsoon prediction capabilities.
The first phase of MM, called MM-I, was completed successfully in 2017
MM-II, starting in September 2017, aims to predict weather extremes and develop applications for agriculture, hydrology, and energy, while advancing model development
MM-II is a part of Atmosphere and Climate Research — Modelling Observing Systems and Services (ACROSS)
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