Brahmaputra Flood Forecasting and Mission Mausam: Climate Adaptation
UPSC / SSC current affairs note · IR
Why in news
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh informed Rajya Sabha about the 'Mission Mausam' scheme approved in 2024 and the flood forecasting network in Assam. The discussion highlights India's efforts to improve weather and climate prediction accuracy, especially for flood-prone regions like the Brahmaputra basin.
Background
Assam faces recurrent floods due to the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers. The Central Water Commission operates flood forecast stations, and the Ministry of Earth Sciences uses multiple models for weather prediction. 'Mission Mausam' was launched to enhance weather preparedness and climate information dissemination.
Key facts
Cabinet approved 'Mission Mausam' in 2024 as a central scheme to make India a weather-ready and climate-smart nation.
Mission aims to improve accuracy and spatial precision of weather and climate forecasts.
Central Water Commission issues short-term flood forecasts with 24-hour lead time to state governments, including Assam.
CWC operates 32 flood forecast centers in Assam for Brahmaputra, Barak, and their tributaries.
IMD uses six physical models and three AI-based models for numerical weather prediction.
Multi-model ensemble technique and Multi-Hazard Early Warning Decision Support System (MHEW-DSS) are used.
CWC developed AI/ML-based models for 12 short-term forecast stations, 8 in Brahmaputra valley in Assam.
MoES has 8 Regional Meteorological Centres and 25 Meteorological Centres nationwide; Guwahati RMC serves Assam and Northeast.
Gangtok Meteorological Centre also provides weather information to Assam.
Continuous meteorological observatories record data for monitoring, forecasting, and early warning.
Prelims pointers
- Mission Mausam: Central scheme approved in 2024 by Cabinet.
- Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) oversees Mission Mausam.
- Central Water Commission (CWC) under Ministry of Jal Shakti.
- Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) under MoES.
- Multi-Hazard Early Warning Decision Support System (MHEW-DSS).
- Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Guwahati.
- Brahmaputra and Barak rivers in Assam.
- 32 flood forecast centers in Assam.
- AI/ML models for flood forecasting.
- 6 physical and 3 AI-based models used by IMD.
Mains angles
- GS3 Disaster Management: Discuss the role of technology in flood forecasting and early warning systems in India.
- GS3 Environment: Evaluate the impact of climate change on Himalayan rivers and the need for adaptation measures like Mission Mausam.
- GS2 Governance: Examine the coordination between central agencies (CWC, IMD) and state governments in disaster risk reduction.
- GS3 Science & Technology: Assess the use of AI/ML and numerical models in improving weather prediction accuracy.