The IMD will now have access to high-resolution, real-time rainfall maps from a network of six radars, including two of their own. This advancement is made possible by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune, which has established India’s first Urban Radar Network in Mumbai by deploying four closely spaced X-band polarimetric radars (short-range polarimetric radars). This comes amid criticism faced by IMD over unfunctional radars from time to time.  According to Sunil Kamble, scientist and head of IMD’s Regional Meteorological Centre in Mumbai, these four new X-band radars have already been installed and are currently undergoing testing and technical assessments.

When asked about allegations regarding non-functional radars during extreme weather events, Kamble said, “We have maintained full transparency—there’s nothing to hide, nor do we try to. Sometimes, due to technical issues, we may not receive data from the radars, but this does not mean we are unable to issue timely forecasts. Our forecasts are not based solely on radar data, they are the result of multiple exercises, observations, procedures, calculations, and recalculations performed daily.”